Announce List/2014, Part 2
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Apr 5, 2014Weekly Newsletter 2391.14
Happy weekend and First Contact Day, fleetmates! FLEET EVENTS Top Sims Contest
Fleet Chat
Writing Challenge
Featured Bio Contest
The Fleet Calendar
Poll of the Week
(newest at the top, oldest at the bottom) 2. Forums Roundup: April 2014: http://goo.gl/yckO7d 3. April Featured Bio Winner: http://goo.gl/LyLfrf 4. New Academy Graduate: http://goo.gl/rTGnal 5. Captain’s Log: The Ferengi Encounter: http://goo.gl/Jbv5LQ 6. The Mission That Never Was: Venus Flyby: http://goo.gl/kuVzM4 7. Writer’s Workshop: Twelve Quotes From Authors To Remember When Starting Your First Book: http://goo.gl/tqxIpn
** March Plot Summary for the USS Gemini ** Having learned of the Hermes’ disappearance, the USS Gemini, NCC 80564 set out for the Borderlands to investigate. Before their arrival, however, the ship dropped out of slipstream and was greeted by a Klingon Bird of Prey with strange markings on it. With the assumption that the Klingon ship was rogue, the crew of the Gemini proceeded with caution and were caught offguard when the Hermes decloaked in front of them. Knowing that the Klingons were now in control of a Starfleet vessel, Captain Liam Frost sent a team over to attempt a rescue and if all else failed, to destroy the ship. They managed to get the team over to the Hermes in one piece, but not without taking damage to the ship. Seeing an advantage, the Bird of Prey began to attack without warning sending the Gemini running for reduce in the nearby Celendi Nebula. ** Forums Roundup: April 2014 ** As we get past the overly cold months of the year and finally move into spring, there’s a call for people to be outside. With warmer weather, it’s certainly time to enjoy the blossoms and all of the wonderful scents that flowering bushes and trees add to the world around us. Of course, you’re going to need a break from outside at some point, and that is the perfect time to come inside and check on the forums! Just like most months, there is plenty happening around the forums this month! Here are a few places to look! Don’t forget the latest writing challenge is open! You can submit your entry between now and the 25th of April! http://goo.gl/UCgL5q Come join the rest of the community and discuss various topics as they relate to Trek. The Poll of the Week is different each week – let your opinion be heard: http://goo.gl/AiGa2p Join the conversation on one of the many duty posts around the fleet. Share your thoughts and how you play your character! http://goo.gl/WpM2E9 Know of a really good sim? Head over to the Top Sims forum threads and submit it there to be recognized by the whole fleet! http://goo.gl/UCez1T And don’t forget to stop in and welcome new members in our welcome thread! http://goo.gl/dkM2wC With summer approaching, there’s tons to do. Make sure you still stop by and see us around the forums. There’s always something to do and get into! Until next month, happy simming! ** April Featured Bio Winner ** Chief Science Officer Alexander Richards (http://goo.gl/k7Knxg ) of the USS Gemini (http://goo.gl/awsAnC ) was born in Tycho City, Lunar Colony. Whilst studying the sciences at Oxford University, Alexander had a paper published on applied warp mechanics past, present and beyond. He graduated from Starfleet Academy in 2387, after which he took up his first duty post in the Operations Division on the USS Independence-A (http://goo.gl/PU0aza ) in 2388 as the Chief Communications Officer. He later served on the USS Tiger-A (http://goo.gl/PHz2ak ), USS Mercury (http://goo.gl/Xb8wde ), USS Drake (http://goo.gl/HkSfGD ), andStarbase 118 Ops (http://goo.gl/72WBL0 ) before being assigned to the USS Gemini. While investigating a strange occurrence on Deep Space 10 (http://goo.gl/lkuIkv ) during his time aboard the Mercury, Alexander triggered the base’s ancient defense systems and was paralyzed from the waist down. He is now in a wheelchair, but he has not let this get in the way of his career. Alexander feels his biggest achievement in life so far is becoming a father to his son John Richards. He always wants to set an example for him and be the best role model that he can be. This month, our star pick bio belongs to Major Dade Adarnis, so congratulations to him!! Alexander Richards’s bio (http://goo.gl/rLgqSq ) will be displayed on the wiki’s front page (http://goo.gl/1aknDP ) for the month of April. As always, you can find out more about the contest at its wiki page (http://goo.gl/e7yk3q ) or in its forum (http://goo.gl/e7BsDJ ). Round 6 is now open, so be sure to drop by and submit your own nominations! ** New Academy Graduate ** Please welcome our newest Academy graduates to the UFOP: StarBase 118 fleet: Kala Maddox! http://goo.gl/31M1mQ ** Captain’s Log: The Ferengi Encounter ** Editor’s note - By the current stardate of 239103.27, the Ferengi are a well-established and universally recognizable species with our galaxy. The Ferengi are valued members of modern society, with impacts on the economy and politics of the Federation. Some of their species even serve in Starfleet as officers. The majority of their interactions with Starfleet and other organizations/races are documented and recorded in the annuals of history. The official first contact between The Federation and the Ferengi occurred nearly 30 years ago in 2364. The USS Enterprise-D and a Ferengi vessel were trapped in orbit together while investigating the Delphi Ardu System. However, prior to this first contact, multiple encounters – some hostile – between the Ferengi and the Federation took place. Unfortunately, documentation and evidence of the Ferengi as a warp-capable species was ignored and not categorized in Starfleet records. One of those encounters occurred between the USS Galway, a Baton Rogue class s vessel and sister ship to the USS Glasgow. Built and commissioned in the mid 23rd century, the Galway was active from 2227-2239 and during its encounter with the Ferengi, captained by a Bolian female named Haln Atrol. The below except from Captain’s log comes just after their encounter with a Ferengi trading vessel. CAPTAIN’S LOG, STARDATE 223410.18 ** The Mission That Never Was: Venus Flyby ** It is very interesting the amount of missions that NASA had planned, but never carried out. In the early 1960s, after their success with putting a man on the moon, the expectations and dreams of the fledgling organization had grown colossal. One of the many projects that had been considered was a manned flyby of the planet Venus. With our present day technology, the idea of doing a flyby of the second planet of our solar system would be dangerous, but NASA felt reasonably confident that they could accomplish it in the 1970s. The concept was published on February 1st, 1967 by Bellcomm Inc. who, at the time, was assisting NASA in their development of future missions. The U.S. scientists felt that a trip to Venus would be relatively the same as a trip to the moon except longer and requiring more creature comforts for the crew. The mission was scheduled to take four hundred days for a few hours of orbit time around Venus. The document stated that it would be using two modules to house the crew and even bring along a backup rescue pod in case anything went wrong. In the end though, NASA never really considered launching the mission. For all tense and purpose, the Venus Flyby mission was a feasibility study to determine if it was capable to be carried out. That was probably for the better thanks to our new understanding of the solar system and the hidden dangers 1960s scientists would have been unaware of. The Venus Flyby is still one of the more interesting pieces of our race’s pursuit for the stars. For more information about this fascinating idea, you can go here: http://goo.gl/QmhCXO ** Writer’s Workshop: Twelve Quotes From Authors To Remember When Starting Your First Book ** In writing like in any skill it is always important to find little ways to improve. Sometimes it’s even easy to do then in big broad strokes. One of the easiest ways to do that is through the advice and help of those who have been there before. Now while there is no guarantee you can easily and readily tap into the knowledge of the world’s greatest authors there are some great places you can go to find some little shots of knowledge. As a result that is what I bring to you today. This is a neat little article that gives some insight into how to handle being a writer. From F. Scott Fitzgerald to Michael Crichton even including a few words from Issac Asimov on the subject, the article provides some good tips and hints as well as insights to remember in order to survive as a writer. http://goo.gl/wQRU17 ----------------------------------- Apr 8, 2014This Week on 118Wiki - Non-Canon Encyclopedia - Medicine
Adventure! Excitement! These are the daily life of Starfleet Officers, but they often face officers with the danger of injury or disease. Fortunately, StarFleet doctors can patch up even the most injured or sick officers. It’s not instant, and it’s not always pleasant, but they get the job done using state of the art medicine. It’s these miracle drugs that get us back on our feet and back into the action. Whether you’ve recently discovered a new treatment or stumbled upon a medicine that’s worth its weight in latinum, it belongs in the wiki's The Non-Canon Encyclopedia.. This guide and template make it quick and easy. Any medicine created by and for use in with Starbase 118 is fair game, whether it was introduced by you or someone else in a sim. Of course, you can always add your latest creation to the encyclopedia. When you're done, brag a bit on the forums! Here are a few already in the encyclopedia:
A spoonful of sugar may help the medicine go down, but patients will likely go without a sweetener when Laktum is involved. The liquid’s “sickly-sweet” scent and taste might even put off those with a sweet tooth. The medicine is a fluid that can be applied through injection, salve, consumption, patch, or submersion and is capable of incredible feats of healing. At least, it used to be renowned for such effects. However it happened, laktum’s reputation steadily declined; theories include that the medicine lost its effectiveness from overuse. It gradually faded from the forefront of the medical market; now, it is primarily used as a low-cost alternative to other medicines. ---- Lt. Commander Ben Livingston Apr 12, 2014Weekly Newsletter 2391.15
Happy weekend, fleetmates! FLEET EVENTS Fleet Chat
Top Sims Contest
Writing Challenge
Featured Bio Contest
The Fleet Calendar
This Week on 118 Wiki – The Non-Canon Encyclopedia
(newest at the top, oldest at the bottom) 2. “Rabbits” Writing Challenge Nearly Over: http://goo.gl/lCR45a 3. Promotions for March 2014: http://goo.gl/KXHVXP 4. March Plot Summary for the USS Vigilant: http://goo.gl/rS8pZ6 5. This Week on 118 Wiki – The Non-Canon Encyclopedia: Medicine: http://goo.gl/CvdTsR 6. New Academy Graduate: http://goo.gl/pSs9Jt 7. Podcast 2391-2 Released! : http://goo.gl/vnWW5r 8. Congratulations, Rear Admiral Jaxx: http://goo.gl/JPNv8x 9. March 2014 Post Totals: http://goo.gl/PZ6Ryg 10. March Plot Summary for the USS Darwin: http://goo.gl/cqifkf 11. April Fleetwide OOC Chat: http://goo.gl/O9zPgz 12. Emergency Rations: http://goo.gl/hL5F1D
** Top Sims Contest Update ** The Top Sims Contest is now accepting nominations for Round 12 of 2014. Every day, your crew mates write the kinds of sims that make our community one of the greatest of its kind. Making sure they get the recognition they deserve is easy, and only takes a minute: 1. Visit the Top Sims Contest forum: http://goo.gl/yNuOrt 2. Check the calendar to see which round we’re on: http://goo.gl/QNjgPQ 3. Start a new topic and paste the sim into the text field. Nominating a sim is as easy as enjoying it, so don’t hold back. Each sim will go to our judges panel to determine which one goes to the next run-off round. One of the sims you read today could be the Top Sim of 2014, but only if you take the time to nominate it. The winner of Round 12 will join the rest of the winning sims from rounds 7 to 11 in the second run off of the year to determine the best sim of 2014. SO nominate today. ** “Rabbits” Writing Challenge Nearly Over ** Just in time for Easter, here’s your friendly Writing Challenge reminder! What more appropriate way to celebrate than to enter this particularly apropos Challenge? You now have exactly two weeks to enter the Challenge with your particular interpretation of what a rabbit story might be! “Mechanical rabbits? Alien hares? Killer bunnies?” our last winner asks: “This could even go dark if someone was creative enough (are rabbits now extinct?) or surreal… or humorous…” How will you take it? Incidentally, there’s no reason you have to stick with the bucktoothed Earth mammal as your theme. What about alien rabbits? What about usages of the word that don’t directly involve bunnies at all: The pacesetter of a race, perhaps, or the British colloquialism that means to talk at length? However you interpret it, make sure to get your story in on or before Friday, April 25th! See the current Challenge topic (http://goo.gl/E9e4el ) for more info, and head over to the Writing Challenge forum (http://goo.gl/dmRQjX ) to enter! ** Promotions for March 2014 ** The staff of UFOP: StarBase 118 would like to take a moment and recognize the officers promoted in the month of February. Please be sure to congratulate these folks when you see them in the corridors of your vessel! Vigilant • Aribelle Tagren to Lieutenant Commander • Richard Matthews to Lieutenant • Denji Ryan to Lieutenant JG • Udas to Lieutenant JG Garuda • Frank O’Malley to Lieutenant JG ** March Plot Summary for the USS Vigilant ** The Vigilant crew began the month recovering from the difficulties of their previous mission. With the ship still severely damaged and under repairs at the shipyards on Zakdorn IV, they took up residence in the Prak Zel Grand hotel and enjoyed a few weeks rest. Before long, Captain Diego Herrera called everyone together to announce that they would not be returning to their Intrepid-class but would instead be moving into a new Hephaestus-class ship, the USS Vigilant-A. The crew immediately took possession of the new ship with orders to begin a general exploration mission. They located a beautiful Class-M world with readings of possible dilithium deposits and other unique minerals and plants. Two away teams were formed to investigate areas of the planet. Before long, though, the environment was impacted by violent storms. The team led by Lt. Cmdr A’ern Zerxes that was investigating dilithium readings in a large cave network was soon dealing with flash floods through the caves and injuries to crewmates. Zerxes has finally been able to make contact with the crew back on the Vigilant bridge to try and facilitate an evacuation, but they are limited without use of transporters and a ticking clock on the wellfare of the injured. The captain’s team, above ground and near the coast, recognized that a new lifeform was intermingled with the storms and worked to try and make communication. They have successfully made contact, but can they negotiate a peaceful solution? ** This Week on 118 Wiki – The Non-Canon Encyclopedia: Medicine ** Adventure! Excitement! These are the daily life of Starfleet Officers, but they often face officers with the danger of injury or disease. Fortunately, Starfleet doctors can patch up even the most injured or sick officers. It’s not instant, and it’s not always pleasant, but they get the job done using state of the art medicine. It’s these miracle drugs that get us back on our feet and back into the action. Whether you’ve recently discovered a new treatment or stumbled upon a medicine that’s worth its weight in latinum, it belongs in the wiki's Non-Canon Encyclopedia: http://goo.gl/mI31xI This guide (http://goo.gl/uhN7OZ ) and template (http://goo.gl/Llrua6 ) make it quick and easy. Any music-related event created by and for use in with Starbase 118 is fair game, whether it was introduced by you or someone else in a sim. Of course, you can always add your latest creation to the encyclopedia. When you're done, brag a bit on the forums (http://goo.gl/wfhP5d ) Here are a few already in the encyclopedia:
Spotlight on: Laktum (http://goo.gl/KozjU2) A spoonful of sugar may help the medicine go down, but patients will likely go without a sweetener when Laktum is involved. The liquid’s “sickly-sweet” scent and taste might even put off those with a sweet tooth. The medicine is a fluid that can be applied through injection, salve, consumption, patch, or submersion and is capable of incredible feats of healing. At least, it used to be renowned for such effects. However it happened, laktum’s reputation steadily declined; theories include that the medicine lost its effectiveness from overuse. It gradually faded from the forefront of the medical market; now, it is primarily used as a low-cost alternative to other medicines. ** New Academy Graduate ** Please welcome our newest Academy graduates to the UFOP: StarBase 118 fleet: Tyler Reacher! http://goo.gl/lm5TVs ** Podcast 2391-2 Released! ** The new episode has been released! For those of you that want would like to listen online, check out our release on the StarBase 118 YouTube channel (http://goo.gl/Lv1gVQ )! Whilst we recognize that some members would love to listen to the podcast on the go, we have uploaded it to Archive.org (http://goo.gl/YJFqae ). You can download it from the menu on the left hand side! Keep your ears open for our next release! Feel free to subscribe to our YouTube channel for automatic updates. To join the Podcast Team, visit the team’s Google Group (http://goo.gl/hg6CE2 ) and apply for membership! ** Congratulations, Rear Admiral Jaxx ** I am very proud to announce that Andrus Jaxx has been promoted to the rank of Rear Admiral, effective immediately. That makes him the second highest rank member of the community, and the first to hold this rank since Rear Admiral Jessa Anassasi’s retirement. Rear Admiral Jaxx has been a member since October, 2007 when he joined as a counselor under Captain T’Pen on the USS Challenger. He is currently a member of the Executive Council, the Academy Commandant, and captain of the USS Apollo, and was promoted to his previous rank of Fleet Captain in October of 2012: http://goo.gl/bZHU8d Be sure to stop by the forums and congratulate him on this promotion! http://goo.gl/DLX0Vz ** March 2014 Post Totals ** As part of the ongoing overview of the fleet as a whole, here are the monthly figures for total posts for each ship. This summary will give you an idea of how active the ship is on a month-by-month basis. March saw some ships full of the joys of spring! A number of ships managed to spur themselves onwards after a relatively slow February as plots hotted up and SIMmers began to get their teeth into things! Over all, we were a little down on our averages from February, though… but what could have caused it? Our next chart gives the number of sims for each ship over the course of March. It was tough going for a few of the ships in the fleet and the drop in SIM averages came as a result of a lot of players filing for leave of absence due to things picking up for them in real life. Traditionally, February has been the month for that to happen around the fleet but this year it happened a little later and we’re looking forward to seeing those members who have had to take a step back to focus on the real world when they’re able to come back strong! It’s definitely worth mentioning that this kind of thing usually leads to a bigger drop in the average SIM count, so a huge well done to those of you who remain for ploughing your energy into keeping your ships driving ahead! It’s already been a solid start to April, so things are looking bright! ** March Plot Summary for the USS Darwin ** With the Freighter Tenacity held tightly in the containment sphere of the USS Darwin, NCC 99312-A, and its crew locked tight in the Brig, the crew of the Darwin was free to investigate and get to the bottom of the allegations of their illegal cargo contents. With the away teams on-board the Tenacity, it didn’t take long to bring down the suspicious containment field to discover a concerning amount of Federation Weaponry in their cargo hold. Amongst the Federation weaponry was a vast quantity of a clear liquid, its contents unknown to the crew. Meanwhile on the Darwin, Captain Reinard and his team questioned the Captain and the First Officer in an attempt to discern the contents of their Cargo and their intended destination. Conversations all but stalled until Lieutenant Commander Thomas’ team returned to provide evidence of the weapons and the mysterious clear substance found in their holds. All the while Lieutenant Commander James and his team worked diligently on ascertaining the qualities of the Clear Liquid. Unbeknownst to them they were about to get a live specimen of the drug in the form of the Captain. As the interview spiraled out of control the Captain was infected with the mysterious liquid sending him into a rage. As the crew confined him to sickbay a communication from a Tellarite man was intercepted on its way for the freighter. Seemingly angry with their late delivery, the Bridge team worked quickly to attempt to discover his location and perhaps his purpose. ** April Fleetwide OOC Chat ** Mark your calendars for the next fleetwide chat, coming up on Sunday, April 13th at 10am Pacific / 1pm Eastern (US) / 6pm GMT (UK) / 3am Monday UTC+11 (AUS). Always check your time zone for accuracy/DST if applicable! To participate, simply head to our online chat room, at: http://goo.gl/TvMgyG — if you have problems connecting, use the instructions listed below the chat box. Our fleetwide chats are a space for all the members of the StarBase 118 group to get together and talk in real time about everything that’s happening within the group. Come by and see what goings-on are happening off your ship. Chats are always held on the second Sunday of every month, but you can head into the chat room at any time to see who else is there. ** Emergency Rations ** Welcome to Emergency Rations, where each month we highlight details from the world of Star Trek to fuel your fandom, inspire your writing, and help bring your sim to life. This month’s theme is feet, because that’s the kind of thing we do here. You have caught up on all your reading; you have scrolled through all the forums; you have read the entire wiki again. You’re still one step short of writing that post, and this time, no amount of frantic pacing is going to help you. No sweat. It’s time to break out the Emergency Rations… It’s likely you’ve written about your character’s feet before now. You’ve described how she pulls her Starfleet issue boots on when Red Alert sounds, or what kind of heel she wears because of her height, or how his feet ache after a long trek across a deserted planet. Let’s go one step further, and talk about where else our feet can lead us. As you chew your way through your rations, think about how you can incorporate these items and ideas into your sim. When you’ve succeeded, tell us about it on the forum (http://goo.gl/kwvyVp ). We’d love to hear how you’ve put your creativity to use! Socks. Chances are you’re wearing them right now. Or not. Is your character? How do they feel about that? What are Starfleet socks made of? Are they comfortable? Do they breathe well? Do you replicate yours in a non-standard color? You can’t believe it, but I legitimately want to hear about this. Does your character keep some in a drawer, or replicate (http://goo.gl/5SreWq ) them fresh each day? Think about what comes between you and those standard black boots! Dance. You’ve written about it already. This time, put those feet to use and dance with a crewmate. I dare you. Grab your stern first officer, your shy doctor, or your three-legged engineer with all left feet, and take them for a turn around the bridge or wherever you happen to be. Find a credible reason to swing that partner round the deck – any reason not to dance on a starship? – and do it. Dip them. Put on your Warp Drive and the Ithassa Five (http://goo.gl/mStHHk ) album, and go wild! Foot odor. Let’s talk about it. The world of Star Trek exists in a future where peace and equality have spread themselves over the galaxy like a warm, fuzzy blanket. You guys, that doesn’t mean there isn’t foot odor. Soggy feet? On shift too long? Unable to shower because you’re cooped up in a baddie’s holding cell? Tell us about it. Ugh – what if your species has heightened olfactory senses? What if someone has reduced senses (http://goo.gl/8MV9Ze ) and doesn’t know any better? Please step in to the forum (http://goo.gl/kwvyVp) and let us know how you used these ideas in your writing! Happy simming! ----------------------------------- Apr , 2014This Week on 118Wiki - Non-Canon Encyclopedia - Astronomical Objects
“What exactly are we looking at, Lieutenant?” “It’s some kind of … spatial … anomaly, sir.” With all of the exploration done by our ships, it’s no wonder that we run into weird, beautiful, and unexplainable phenomena out there in the galaxy. Sometimes, we don’t even have a word for it … yet. Or maybe you’ve just stumbled into an asteroid belt or Nebula. If you have, it belongs in the wiki's The Non-Canon Encyclopedia. This guide and template make it quick and easy. Any astronomical object created by and for use in with Starbase 118 (specific or a whole new class) is fair game, whether it was introduced by you or someone else in a sim. Of course, you can always add your latest creation to the encyclopedia. When you're done, brag a bit on the forums! Here are a few already in the encyclopedia:
Though sometimes considered a single “celestial object”, the Jenatris Cloud is actually a field of hundreds of nebulae and subspace anomalies. Despite a whimsical name, the region is quite dangerous, home to plasma storms, radiation, and ion storms. If you do show up here, it’s not easy to get out, either. Avoiding the many celestial obstacles is made trickier by sensor limitations, shield inoperability, impossibility of communications, and warp field incompatibility. So why do people come here? Perhaps for some, it’s a “shortcut;” others find it to be a beautiful sight with gold, blue, and vaious other colors swirling about space. If you’re only looking for a way through, you might consider the Jenatris Corridor instead – it’s a bit indirect, but it’s considerably safer! Watch those colors from afar! ---- Lt. Commander Ben Livingston Apr, 2014Weekly Newsletter 2391.16
Happy Easter weekend, fleetmates! FLEET EVENTS Top Sims Contest
Writing Challenge
Featured Bio Contest
Fleet Chat
The Fleet Calendar
This Week on 118 Wiki – The Non-Canon Encyclopedia
(newest at the top, oldest at the bottom) 2. This Week on 118 Wiki – The Non-Canon Encyclopedia: Astronomical Objects: http://goo.gl/CvdTsR 3. March Plot Summary for the USS Atlantis: http://goo.gl/hQD0aL 4. New Academy Graduates: http://goo.gl/NA8YO5 5. Goodbye Tiger and Fleet Captain Riley: http://goo.gl/LZGrrt 6. March Plot Summary for the USS Excalibur: http://goo.gl/duCgrM 7. March Plot Summary for the USS Garuda: http://goo.gl/adpKot
** A Closer Look: The USS Vigilant-A ** “The candle of liberty has always been kept lit by a vigilant few.” -Russell Pearce This is the motto of the newest Starship to be commissioned for StarBase 118: The USS Vigilant NCC-75515-A (http://goo.gl/c0npOv ). A Hephaestus-class starship launched in April 2391, the Vigilant-A will patrol the Zeta Gelis Region (http://goo.gl/kRnfvZ ) along with the USS Darwin-A, keeping that candle burning to represent the interests of United Federation of Planets. Equipped with a quantum slipstream drive (http://goo.gl/MpmXwr ) and capable of operating in Multi-Vector Mode, the latest incarnation of the Vigilant is tougher and better equipped to deal with the demands of maintaining a Starfleet presence in such a remote sector than her predecessor. Fleet Captain Diego Herrera, the Commanding Officer of the Vigilant-A, was kind enough to chat with me about his new ship in this installment of “A Closer Look.” Nathan Baker: Firstly, the Intrepid class Vigilant was knocked out of action by a cascade failure of the computer core, correct? Diego Herrera: That’s correct – a sophisticated virus created by someone with extensive knowledge of the LCARS system found its way aboard. The crew had been able to contain it for some time but when they tried to purge it it caused irreparable damage to all of the system start-up protocols. That left the computer systems throughout the ship crippled and made it unsafe to power the Vigilant back up. N.B.: What made you decide on a Hephaestus-class starship? Is the Vigilant-A geared more towards combat like it’s Prometheus-class cousins, or will it be more balanced to act as an explorer? D.H: Being honest – I chose by looking at ship designs I liked and agonizing over their pros and cons for a very long time. I like that the Hephaestus class is punchy. I like the shape of it. I like that it looks a little different to some classes of ship, with a wedge at the front that’s even more wedge-shaped than say, the Vesta, Sovereign, or Intrepid classes. It’s cool that it has 4 nacelles too, yet it still looks like it belongs to the Federation. As far as combat orientation goes – it can handle itself in a fight, for sure. It’s more powerful than the Prometheus class, so it’s Multivector Mode is not to be trifled with; but you’ll notice there’s no ‘Assault’ in there. Why? Because the Vigilant-A’s three segments after separation each specialize in different things. The dorsal section is the most combat oriented. The central section contains the slipstream drive and all of the VIP hospitality, as well as main sickbay, so it can be used as a civilian support base, or evacuate the crew from the rest of the ship in a similar way to the Enterprise D’s saucer section separation. The ventral section contains all of the science labs and the main engineering department, which makes it more geared towards exploration. All three sections can work together for any type of mission, but when it separates, combat is not the only thing it does! N.B.: Can you give me any other insight readers might want to know about the Vigilant-A that we can’t read about on the Wiki (http://goo.gl/NrYlHU )? D.H.: This is always the kind of question that makes my mind go blank! Gossipy stuff… the bridge design is based on a cross between STO’s medical ships and advanced escorts. It’s also got corners, because it doesn’t use a traditional bridge module (the wiki will tell you there’s more than just the bridge on deck 1!). Other than that, it ought to all be on the wiki and if it isn’t then it will be as soon as I can upload it – planning a big overhaul over the next few months, but it will take time! One thing that’s maybe worth mentioning is that we managed to successfully use the slipstream drive to get from Zakdorn IV to an unexplored planet recently – a lot of the fleet’s slipstream experiences have ended in calamity, including the original Vigilant’s, so I like to think we broke the streak! The News Team would like to thank Fleet Captain Herrera for his time in helping give us a closer look at his new ship. We wish him and the rest of the Vigilant’s crew good luck a smooth sailing as they begin their new journeys. You can keep up with stories of the Vigilant-A at their Google Group here: http://goo.gl/nMj5om
“What exactly are we looking at, Lieutenant?” “It’s some kind of … spatial … anomaly, sir.” With all of the exploration done by our ships, it’s no wonder that we run into weird, beautiful, and unexplainable phenomena out there in the galaxy. Sometimes, we don’t even have a word for it … yet. Or maybe you’ve just stumbled into an asteroid belt or Nebula. If you have, it belongs in the wiki's Non-Canon Encyclopedia: http://goo.gl/mI31xI This guide (http://goo.gl/uhN7OZ ) and template (http://goo.gl/Llrua6 ) make it quick and easy. Any music-related event created by and for use in with Starbase 118 is fair game, whether it was introduced by you or someone else in a sim. Of course, you can always add your latest creation to the encyclopedia. When you're done, brag a bit on the forums (http://goo.gl/wfhP5d ) Here are a few already in the encyclopedia:
Spotlight on: Jenatris Cloud (http://goo.gl/pMwrDi) Though sometimes considered a single “celestial object”, the Jenatris Cloud is actually a field of hundreds of nebulae and subspace anomalies. Despite a whimsical name, the region is quite dangerous, home to plasma storms, radiation, and ion storms. If you do show up here, it’s not easy to get out, either. Avoiding the many celestial obstacles is made trickier by sensor limitations, shield inoperability, impossibility of communications, and warp field incompatibility. So why do people come here? Perhaps for some, it’s a “shortcut;” others find it to be a beautiful sight with gold, blue, and various other colors swirling about space. If you’re only looking for a way through, you might consider the Jenatris Corridor (http://goo.gl/xlHGvi ) instead – it’s a bit indirect, but it’s considerably safer! Watch those colors from afar! ** March Plot Summary for the USS Atlantis ** The crew of the Atlantis thought that the most dangerous part of their mission to Uzoka 4 would be dealing with any diplomatic snafus around the gift, or perhaps the arrogance of the ambassador. Working through the potentials, two members of the crew went to speak to the Ambassador, theoretically about local politics, but in actuality to scan the mysterious gift. Unfortunately, they were discovered by the ambassador and it was brought to the Captain at the diplomatic dinner that evening. The dinner was a grand event that showcased the cuisines of the Federation, but ended up being overshadowed by one cloud. Specifically, a miniature version of the Jenatris cloud, whose presence caused everyone with psionic potential to have varying levels of reactions, including causing the Ambassador to appear drunk before passing out! Sickbay worked feverishly to determine something beyond a stop gap solution with psionic blockers, while the science team worked to understand what the cloud was, or rather clouds were! The ambassador woke up to reveal that the gift held several of the entities and that the clouds ate energy from the ship! Stabilizing the situation as best they could, the crew continued slowly to Uzoka 4, but with several new shocks. The clouds were sentient, and the Universal translator was being adapted, and several combat ready ships were heading toward them from the Krayav home planet. Worse, the tactical systems had been completely drained while dealing with the clouds with no idea when they’d be restored! ** New Academy Graduates ** Please welcome our newest Academy graduates to the UFOP: StarBase 118 fleet: Colin Stonestreet, Clio Margariti, and Tyler Kelly! http://goo.gl/dNdP6p ** Goodbye Tiger and Fleet Captain Riley ** We’re saddened to lose a long-standing member, Fleet Captain Sidney Riley, who resigned last week after a nearly 10-year membership. Having joined in September, 2004, she served on the USS Wallace and USS Independence, and commanded the Independence-A, Tiger, Tiger-A, and for a short time, StarBase 118 Ops. She was a member of the Executive Council, acted as the Academy Commandant from 2006 to 2013, and facilitated a number of OOC teams and committees over the course of her tenure with us. After her resignation, the crew of the USS Tiger-A was moved to other vessels, and the ship was decommissioned. We wish FltCapt. Riley the absolute best as we welcome her ship’s crew to other vessels and look forward to their new adventures.
Posted: Monday, 14 April 2014 The crew of USS Excalibur NCC-41903-A, has made tremendous discoveries as well as experienced setbacks in their goal of understanding the anomaly that stranded them in the Afehirr Sector. The being transported aboard Excalibur was revealed to be the High Chief Merchant of the Erscyne Trade Allinace. After a first-contact scenario, the guarded dignitary was beamed back to the station. However, the crew also discovered life-signs of beings inhabitting the same space as Excalibur, but trapped in “pocket” universes. After a successful attempt to retrieve the individual, the crew discovered a young, helpless Azeyka child that was swiftly taken under the care of the medical department. The rescue drained the ship’s power, leaving the Engineering department to restore power so that additional “rescues” of thirty missing crew members can be attempted. Meanwhile, LtCmdr. Katy Orman was transported not only through space but through time into the station’s recent past, where she spent a month “catching up” in time to Excalibur. Though initially rendered invisible to the aliens aboard the station, she eventually made contact with the creatures and was put in contact with Excalibur. She also discovered a black, possibly parasitic creature that appears to be linked to the spatial “void.” Theories abound as to the nature of the void, and the crew continued to work on identifying its nature and determine a way of ceasing its expansion. ** March Plot Summary for the USS Garuda ** Captain Egan Manno and her away team, following their successful completion of the Kubarey’s Trials, beamed to the Kubarey vessel and were reunited with much of the crew; all were allowed to beam back to the Garuda, now operating under her own power thanks to the work of Captain Reynolds’s cold restart and the resistence of the remaining Garuda crew. The Garuda returned to Deep Space Ten for some well earned rest and relaxation, where Commander Ross and Captain Quinn Reynolds were reunited after being apart for the whole of the last mission, although Reynolds unwittingly got punched during a bar fight in Ten Forward. Fortunately Doctor McGregor and Lt. Cmdr. Bakari were on hand to assist. Meanwhile, Lieutenants Mei’konda and Evan Delano spent some time together relaxing on the holodeck, while Leo Handley-Page and Ensign Frank O’Malley worked on a highly toxic blood sample, hoping to find a cure to a rampant infection on Leo’s homeworld of Byzatium, little realising that another sample had been stolen during the Kubarey’s assault and had fallen into unwitting hands. Lieutenant Jade Shryker had been badly injured during the Trials, and her recovery and subsequent physical therapy consumed much of her leave time. Elsewhere, Lieutenant JG Trel’lis received an infusion from the mysterious Xelarian race, causing her headpiece to become part of her physical form and giving her a more youthful appearance and extended life span. It was during leave that Ensign Kenoi joined the crew as a medic, and Lieutenant JG Alora DeVeau was promoted to Chief Science Officer. The final crew change was the unexpected departure of Leo Handley-Page on a private quest, and the arrival of his half-sister Nia Calderan, who became the new Diplomatic Attache. ----------------------------------- Apr 26, 2014Weekly Newsletter 2391.17
Happy weekend, fleetmates! FLEET EVENTS Writing Challenge
Featured Bio Contest
Top Sims Contest
Fleet Chat
Community Calendar
(newest at the top, oldest at the bottom) 2. Writing Challenge: First-Time Winners: http://goo.gl/9xrFvx 3. The Admiral’s Corner: Rear Admiral Andrus Jaxx: http://goo.gl/bLDLFi 4. New Academy Graduates: http://goo.gl/nSbcUa 5. Sowing The Seeds: http://goo.gl/lii1Ro 6. March Plot Summary for the USS Apollo: http://goo.gl/Kgdlj1 7. Witty Wordsmith: Tricky Definitions: http://goo.gl/lgKOe6 8. March Plot Summary for the Duronis II Embassy: http://goo.gl/R3buun
** In Command: Liam Frost ** There are many types of characters that inhabit the world of Starbase 118, and many different positions to be held within Starfleet. For many, the ultimate goal is to advance through the ranks and become the commanding officer of one’s own star ship. It takes time, dedication, and hard work to achieve this goal. Today, we’re going to find out a little bit about the writer behind one of the characters who has stepped up and successfully slipped into the commanding chair – Commander Liam Frost. DeVeau: So, let’s start from the beginning. How long have you been at SB118 and how did you come to find this group? Frost: I joined the group just about three and a half years ago. The short version of how I came to be in this group is through a friend of a friend. I’ve had an interest in Creative Writing RPGs for many years. A good friend of mine (currently writing for LtCmdr Oliver Weston) heard about the group from a friend of his. We both decided to have a go at it and we’ve been here ever since. DeVeau: Has Liam been around since then, or did you start with another character? Frost: Liam is my first and only PC. I spent a lot of time thinking about the kind of character that I wanted to play. I wanted him to have a solid idea of who is was, but give him enough room to grow as well. DeVeau: You originally were assigned as a Tactical officer, but then that assignment change. Would you tell us a little bit about that and any challenges it brought? Frost: When I filled out my graduation paperwork in the Academy, Tactical was actually my second choice. I had hoped for a position as a pilot, but Tactical officers were needed more. A few days before the next mission started, Captain Jaxx (then Commander) told me that the previous helm officer was taking a leave of absence and offered me the position. I couldn’t turn it down. DeVeau: In the three and a half years you’ve played them, how has Frost change, for good or ill? Frost: A little bit of both to be honest. When he first joined the fleet, he was incredibly cocky; confident to the point of arrogant and believing that he could save the galaxy by himself and rising through the ranks by the sheer force of his charisma. He truly believed that he could do anything, or if he couldn’t, that he could convince people he could. His motto was “You’re as good as you can convince your Commanding Officer you are.” He got taken down a few pegs over the years, which was a hard pill to swallow, but has been good for him overall. He’s still confident, but he’s much more aware of his limitations and when to rely on people more qualified than he is. DeVeau: Did Frost always aim to move up the ranks to position of Commander? What challenges did he face to achieve this goal? Frost: He wanted to move up pretty early on, especially after being promoted to full Lieutenant pretty early on. The biggest challenge came when he took temporary command of the Apollo. Captain Jaxx was incapacitated during a mission to escort a Cardassian diplomat. After thwarting an assassination attempt against the diplomat, the Apollo was confronted by a Romulan Warbird and a Cardassian named Dreth. Long story short, Liam fired the first shot. The confrontation resulted in the destruction of the Warbird. He was pretty sure that was going to be the end of his career. He was so distraught over the incident that he resigned as First Officer. DeVeau: You’ve achieved one of the ultimate goals of many officers. Do you have another goal in mind for him to strive toward? Well, the next step is obviously to keep working towards the rank of full Captain. That fourth pip is really the ultimate goal. As always, I’m always trying to explore different character ideas and making sure Liam never stagnates as a character. DeVeau: What about you, the player? Would you mind sharing us a little about your real self? Where did you grow up and are is there anything you feel you’d like to share about your early self? In real life I’m 29, I’m from Toronto, Canada, and I work for a medical alarm company. I live with my two cats, Havoc and Casey. When I’m not simming I enjoy playing games (video when I’m alone, board when I’m in groups). I’m a moderately talented musician, and I play bass and guitar. I’ve considered trying to put my musical ambitions to use by joining a band, but haven’t had the time to put much effort into it. The real me is actually quite boring. DeVeau: I wouldn’t necessarily say that! I love board games and video games. What are your favourite games? Settlers of Catan, Letters from Whitechapel, Acquir, basically anything that makes me think. DeVeau: What about music? What sort of music do you like to play and do your talents extend to singing? A little. I enjoy the occasional karaoke night. Doing backing/lead vocals in a band would be really cool should the opportunity arise. DeVeau: Okay, last question. If you could change something about Star Trek’s universe, what would it be? I wish there was a better defined economic systems. Obviously the day to day citizen of any major settlement doesn’t need much in the way of day to day items. But what about if they want something from outside that system? Something hand-crafted or something rare? It leaves me with a few questions. DeVeau: Thank you Liam Frost – and Steve! Tune in next time for another ‘In Command’! ** Writing Challenge: First-Time Winners ** Did you know that, before the writer behind Sal Taybrim won (http://goo.gl/WUpeZv ) the January/February Writing Challenge (http://goo.gl/RurPwO ), she had only entered once before? Or that Jess, aka Jalana Laxyn, who won (http://goo.gl/CNsfoF ) the December holiday Challenge back in 2012 (http://goo.gl/p7iEVU ), had never entered before at all? The Writing Challenge judges are always looking for that fresh new story by a great new writer, and though our list of winners (http://goo.gl/PPGMnA ) does have many champions who have won several rounds, you’ll note plenty of names who have won once or twice. Don’t let being a first time entrant discourage you! We always want more stories, so enter yours today! Remember, too, that our current Challenge, “Rabbits,” (http://goo.gl/4QBZe4 ) will end this Friday, April 25th. Be sure to hurry over to the Writing Challenge forum (http://goo.gl/kMVlgA ) and enter your story today! ** The Admiral’s Corner: Rear Admiral Andrus Jaxx ** On April 6, 2014, Andrus Jaxx was officially promoted the to rank of Rear Admiral. The News Team previously interviewed then Captain Jaxx in early 2012 as part of a segment called The Captain’s Corner (http://goo.gl/Cr1ekr ), where we learned a little more about the character and the writer behind Admiral Jaxx. Now that he’s attained his new rank, we thought it would be a good idea to catch up with him and find out what’s been going on since then. Admiral Jaxx was kind enough to take time out of his busy schedule and answer some more of our questions. When we last interviewed you on the Captain’s Corner, you were “Captain Andrus Jaxx” and Commanding Officer of Starbase 118. Regarding positions held, where have you been since then and where are you now? Wow, that is a dated article! Looking at the date, it was published about a week before I launched the USS Apollo. I have been commanding officer of the Apollo ever since. Excitingly enough, we just lost the USS Apollo, and will be moving to the USS Apollo-A in the next couple months. The new Apollo-A is an Odyssey Class starship and we cannot wait to get her into service. While I have advance to Fleet Captain and Rear Admiral, I will still continue to call the USS Apollo home. As for your duties OOC, you’re the Commandant of the Starbase 118 Academy. What other groups do you participate in and/or facilitate? When looking at the OOC work, most of mine is administrative work behind the scenes. I do remain an active member of the Podcast Team. On top of those two groups, I do a lot of work for the personnel department. We track application data, retention rates, and recruitment stats. It is a lot of data tracking. Fleet Captain Herrera and I oversee the examination process for Commander, and I also work on grading Captaincy Exams. From there, there is my work on the Captains Council and Executive Council that is mostly discussions on which direction to steer our community. And of course we have our seasonal events, such as Writing Improvement Month and Yearly Awards that I am involved in. For the last couple years I have written the State of the Federation Address on behalf of the Executive Council. How long have you done each? I joined the Academy as a Lieutenant Commander, years ago while on the Challenger. I moved into the Deputy Commandant role in June of 2012 and then Commandant in September of 2013. I re-launched the Podcast Team in July of 2012 as facilitator and recently turned things over to Lt. Commander Leo Handley-Page, who is now simming Lt. Commander Nia Calderan. Leo has done a great job stepping into the role, and I remain an active member and help him out whenever I can. As far as everything else, it has been ongoing for a couple years. It started with a revamp of the Commander Exam and grading them, and piece by piece I have added in the other duties as I went along. The best way to make sure you don’t bite off more than you can chew is to stagger things when adding in new duties. For those of us who don’t know, what are your responsibilities as Commandant? The Commandant oversees all aspects of the training program. We have two Deputy Commandants, Fleet Captains Diego Herrera and Toni Turner, who have been instrumental in running a great training program. We run a 3 week rotation in overseeing classes and facilitating them. However, all three of us usually keep an eye on each class as it comes through. We really work as a team to make sure everything runs smooth. As Commandant, I work on tweaks to the training program and provide trainers with feedback when needed. The first step toward Commander is participating in the Academy, and many people remain after their requirements are completed. What’s the most rewarding part of being the Commandant? Watching the cadets come through! While I am only introduced to about a third of the cadets, I am very familiar with everyone that comes through the academy. It is actually fun to know about characters and writers, even though I have never actually met them. It is great to see someone come in and slowly adapt to our simming style and react to the feedback they are given from their training officer. You never know how far the new officer will rise. I was once a cadet, just as every other member of our community (excluding Fleet Admiral Wolf). I always say, “Today’s cadet could be tomorrow’s captain.” You’re credited with getting the Podcast team back in full swing. When did that restart and what was your motivation to do so? When I joined in 2007 there were two episodes from the first run under Commodore Rhys Bejain. I loved listening to them, and thought it was a great thing for the fleet. Unfortunately, by the time I joined the group had already ceased operations as Commodore Rhys no longer had time to edit the podcasts. The group tried to reboot in 2008 and 2011 with no results. While sitting at my desk one day, I thought…we need this. With no experience editing, I formed a team and we started brainstorming. Within a month, we released our first episode. As we developed as a team, we moved from labor intensive editing, to a ‘live’ feel with multiple hosts. Once the team was established and I took on the role of Academy Commandant, I wanted to pass the torch to another officer. My co-facilitator was Leo Handley-Page, who people will now recognize as Nia Calderan, and he was interested in taking over. In the end, I felt that it would be a great addition to our community so set it up and got it rolling. What’s your role on the Podcast? Currently I serve as host every other podcast or so. There have only been a few that have not had my voice on them, and when that happens I can always rely on Fleet Captain Herrera to do his best impression of me! In a few words, why should we tune in to the Podcast? There is a lot in our podcasts, from interviews with members of our community to witty banter between the hosts, it is always something fun to listen to. Those that would love to get on the podcast could volunteer for the team and they too can serve as a host. You never know who you might be teamed up with! If you could, how did you find out you were getting promoted to Rear Admiral? What was your reaction to the news when you found out? When someone is promoted above the rank of captain, they are notified by the EC. I was not expecting it at all, so it was a good surprise. To me, rank is not everything. But I am humbled by the confidence my colleagues have in me, and will continue to lend my voice to steer our community! When you look back over the history of the group, you will not find very many admirals. I think the word ‘humbling’ is the best way I can describe it. It takes time, consistency, and dedication to reach an admiral rank. It feels good to get there. Looking back on your In Character Career when you started as a Counselor on the USS Challenger, did Jaxx imagine getting as far as he has? Jaxx developed over time. When he first started out, he did not set his sights on the center chair, let alone admiralty. He has always wanted to serve, so naturally he was always looking at the next step. After being named Second Officer on the Challenger-A, he did set his sights on becoming a First Officer some day. Then once he was there, he started preparing for the day he would take the center chair. As a writer, I do have his career planned out pretty well. There will come a day when Jaxx walks away from the center chair and heads to Earth to teach at the Academy. He and I are not there yet, but that is where he will go one day. Perhaps I will transition to another character as many of my colleagues have, but for now there is still more of his story to tell. What about Out Of Character? Did you ever think you would have gotten this far? I think there are plenty of people that would love to command one day. There are those that do not want the responsibility, or may want it one day. But command was always something I wanted to work toward. Writing for the commanding officer of a starship is an awesome thing to do. As far as rank, while I can say that maybe one day I will be Vice Admiral or Admiral, my focus has been on being a good captain and doing what I can to help grow and improve our community. That is where I set my goals and everything else is a byproduct of that mentality. For those writers just starting out who understandably look up to you as a role model and group leader, what are some general tips you might have for getting more involved in OOC activities. I have been asked different versions of this question, and my answer has always been pretty much the same. First and foremost, consistency. This is the most important thing someone needs to be successful. It means consistently sim full time, good quality, and participate. Be someone your CO or team facilitator can count on. The last thing you want to do is try to work toward Commander, XO, or Captain and be unreliable. Second, ask questions. Right now we have eight active commanding officers, with a plethora of retired ones still simming. Each one of us does something slightly different than the other. I have been a CO for years, but I still have an open mind and learn things from my fellow captains. A good support system and people to bounce ideas off of will only help you as you work toward your goals. When it comes to OOC activities, pick something that is fun for you. This is a game and it should be fun. While I do a lot of administrative tasks, they are fun for me. Fleet Admiral Wolf will tell you the same thing. He loves the [Administrative] side of things with our community. If you can have fun, that is what it will be, so pick a team that you can have fun with. Never stop growing as a member of our community, and never think that you have learned all there is to learn and you will reach your goals. Any tips regarding writing Sims that you’d like to pass along? A nugget of wisdom you wish you’d known when you first started, perhaps? We call it script style, but really it is a hybrid style. The script style and tagging system make it easier to include people and bounce things back and forth, but we really want to live through the senses of your character. What do they see, hear, smell, or feel? Heck, if they are in the Mess Hall, what do they taste? Set the scene around them. Remember that at any given time, someone who is not following your plot could be reading your sim. Is there enough in it that will let them know what is going on? Descriptive text will go a long way in covering these bases. And I always suggest opening your sim with descriptive text. That is my little nugget of wisdom! We at the news team want to once again congratulate Rear Admiral Jaxx on his promotion and thank him for taking the time to answer our questions. You can read more about the Admiral at his WIKI Page (http://goo.gl/jSY76H ), and follow the adventures of the USS Apollo HERE: http://goo.gl/dQQys3 And be sure to check back soon, as we’ll have A Closer Look at the USS Apollo-A once she launches in a few months! ** New Academy Graduates ** Please welcome our newest Academy graduates to the UFOP: StarBase 118 fleet: Arias Cavvar and Charea Zol! http://goo.gl/9xJG4l ** Sowing The Seeds ** There are enough potential members out there for us to double the number of ships in the fleet almost overnight — we just need to help them find us! It’s easy to contribute, doesn’t take a lot of time and converts directly into applications to the academy! It’s time to answer the call! The Publicity Team has been working to keep the name of UFOP: StarBase 118 up in lights around the simming community and the internet as a whole, but we can never have enough members! We don’t ask for a huge time commitment, just 15 minutes a week, but imagine how you’d feel when those 15 minutes convert themselves into a member who applied because of something you did! There’s no feeling like it – you’re at the cutting edge of the group and one of the people responsible for sourcing its very lifeblood: new cadets. ** March Plot Summary for the USS Apollo ** With the Borg incoming, and the major component of the Omega, the boronite, still not dealt with completely, the USS Apollo, NCC-71669 was put on a tight deadline that had members of the crew questioning the ethics of the Omega directive. Put to the test, Ensign Eileen McClaran hatched a plan to create and detonate another Omega within the event horizon of the first detonation, which should mask the boronite, as well as making the area treacherous to travel through. She was to perform the task with only one assistant, so to limit the possibility of the Borg collecting this information. At the same time, Lieutenant Commanders Sundassa Faranster and Jalana Laxyn were preparing an evacuation, getting medical, food and security supplies ready. While Ensign Kaliantha Hawn was holding down the fort in medical, keeping one of their injured from bleeding out. Meanwhile, Commander Tal Tel-ar suggested a means of destroying the second cube by taking one of the shuttles filled with anti-matter torpedoes on to the Borg cube. With the shuttle inside the shield, he would set it up blow up after he is teleported out into space. Two marine pilots, Lieutenants 1st Class T’Aven and Karolina Cranford got wind of this, and offered up their services to rescue and assist the Commander. Once everything was in place, the evacuation commenced and got all the families, civilians, and non-essential personnel off before the Borg were engaged. Then the Apollo sped to meet them, preventing the Borg from splitting up. ** Witty Wordsmith: Tricky Definitions ** "You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means." ~The Princess Bride Our language is full of words that get used incorrectly more than they get used correctly. Maybe they sound similar to another word; sometimes they have an obscure meaning or grammatical pitfalls. This month we will be looking at a few words that are commonly misused both in the mass media and in our own writing. By picking them apart you can give yourselves some mnemonic hooks to use them correctly and even find ways to incorporate them into your character’s vocabulary! decimate Like the words decimal and decagon, the deci- at the beginning of decimate implies a power of ten. The literal definition of this word is to 'slaughter one of every ten' but the more accepted definition is to 'destroy a portion of the whole.' This is a noticeable but not overwhelming portion. If you want to say 'every last thing was destroyed' opt for a word like massacre or annihilation. diagnose Here’s one for all you doctors out there… which do you diagnose? The disease or the patient? The answer is pretty simple – diagnose means "to determine an identity through medical examination." So unless you have no clue who or what your patient is, you are always diagnosing the disease. The same goes for prognosis which refers to determining the progress of what you identify in a diagnosis! Then again this is Star Trek, and every once in awhile you might find a patient that is a complete unknown – both in identity and composition. Then you may go ahead and diagnose them, too. hardly Spock was fond of calling people out when they used double negatives, and he would have a field day with hardly. While it doesn't sound like it, hardly is a negative. So beware of using it in a double negative. If you say 'He couldn't hardly walk' the 'could not' and the 'hardly' are negating one another. (So either he can walk… or he could hardly walk!) nonplussed While this sounds like 'no-fuss', nonplussed actually means exactly the opposite: baffled and confused. The non does mean no, but the plussed has its roots in the word 'more'. So think of 'no more' as in: 'I am so baffled I can't do anything'. Now that we have gone through the rules for a small sampling of words, consider this: in writing rules are meant to be broken (so long as you break them knowingly!) Characters who misuse language might read as slow or stupid – or maybe they are technically skilled, but rustic in their language. Perhaps a slacker character is deliberately lazy in his or her grammar. Or on the flip side, you could write an NPC who misuses language to highlight a pedantic or academic character correcting them. Check back later as we sample some more frequently misused words and ways your characters can use them to their advantage! ** March Plot Summary for the Duronis II Embassy ** The Embassy, Duronis II Away team continued to explore the archaeological digs in the Quentisi Mountain Range. Going deeper into the mountain via a subspace elevator, the team found themselves in an inner cavern and the discovery of a glowing cube. Taking the cube in custody, the team soon found themselves under attack by small metal creatures which could meld themselves together and form ever larger, more menacing forms. During the furious fight which erupted, several members of the away team were injured, most critically being Commander Nugra. With the team now fighting for survival, efforts turned to escaping the caves and the metal sentinels which guarded it. Rigging a device which held the creatures at bay, Major Parker tried in vain to get the power up and running…but the creatures had other ideas. Left with no other choice, the team made their bid for escape, fighting their way back to the ancient elevator just as one of the metal monsters was about to swoop down on them…and the explosives planted by the away team detonated, destroying the caverns and the metal creatures as the away team made a run for it from the collapsing cave…. Meanwhile, back at the Embassy, talks between the Romulan diplomat and Ambassador Vetri took a turn as they decided the fate of the Romulan assassin, T’Ana. Laudean Prime Minister Daysa also made a claim to keep T”Ana on Laudean soil, as an accomplice to the second assassin who killed his butler. Other claims to keep T”Ana were also made, which further complicated the Ambassadors’ mission….. Meanwhile, the second assassin, now identified as a Starfleet traitor, committed a horrific act and is now loose on Embassy soil, and a new member of the crew is causing ripples with his arrival….. ----------------------------------- Apr 27, 2014Online simming convention SciWorld starts this Thursday
The simming world comes together starting this Thursday! With multiple time blocks to accommodate people across the globe, this event will include over a dozen different sessions including quizzes, informational chats, and live role-playing. Meet, and learn from some of the most experienced simmers in the world. The convention this year runs from Thursday, May 1st to Saturday, May 3rd. Check the schedule now to mark your calendar with the sessions you want to attend by clicking on the link below: May 2, 2014SciWorld Day 2
Just a reminder that the online Simming Convention, SciWorld, continues today and tomorrow. The simming community is coming together to learn more about our craft and meet each other. Please join in if you can -- there are events that run all day, and you can find the schedule here: http://www.sciworldonline.com/ - Wolf May 3, 2014Weekly Newsletter 2391.18
Happy weekend, fleetmates! FLEET EVENTS Top Sims Contest
Fleet Chat
Featured Bio Contest
Writing Challenge
Community Calendar
Poll of the Week
(newest at the top, oldest at the bottom) 2. Online Simming Convention SciWorld Starts Today: http://goo.gl/lI9Z4i 3. New Academy Graduates: http://goo.gl/PwzLOf 4. Lower Decks: Lieutenant Alora DeVeau: http://goo.gl/bG5BNU 5. Diego Herrera Promoted to Full Member of the Executive Council: http://goo.gl/2IKxMZ 6. Congratulations Captain Greir Reinard: http://goo.gl/9VWsYH
** Poll of the Week: Getaway! ** Well I’m back! Back from an amazing vacation. One that took me to Las Vegas and the California coast, where I met a lot of new friends and saw some old ones as well. After the harsh winter we had to deal with on this part of Earth this year, I felt I needed time in the sun and to at least get some sort of tan, for after covering up for so many months, I was white as a ghost when I arrived. Going to the beaches along the coast led me to that assumption as I could not help but notice so many tanned bodies which were in sharp contrast to my own. While I relaxed along the California coast, Las Vegas was party town. I think in the week I was there I may have had eight hours of sleep in all! That town never sleeps and I think more alcohol is imported there than water! I learned a lesson that after dancing in a club all night, when exiting into a casino, do not remove your heels or else the security will come and force you to put them back on despite your now aching feet. Besides that one negative, I learned quickly that what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. This is not just a saying, but indeed the truth. With my frolicking ritual out of the way, I believe it is now time to get to this week’s Poll of the Week! Remaining on the vacation theme, and knowing that so many characters within our group have different interests as to what they may consider to be a “fun” getaway, where do you think your character(s) would like to vacation? Why and for what reason? Would it be to relax or submerge in a truly alien place? Learn about a strange culture or party non-stop? Whatever your fancy head on down to the polls (http://goo.gl/Y3pdqp ) and choose your next vacation destination because we may just have an all inclusive special designed just for your character(s)! This is a multiple choice poll, folks, so click away and don’t be afraid to add your own to the mix. ** Online Simming Convention SciWorld Starts Today ** SciWorld 2014 is shaping up to be an incredible amount of fun, hugely informative, and an excellent chance to interact with members of SIMming groups from around literally the whole of the internet! Did you enjoy attending Writing Improvement Month this year, or Fall Fest at the end of 2013? Did you appreciate the chance to share in the expertise of members of other SIM groups as well as your own? How about taking part in trivia quizzes? What about chats about non-Trek scifi? The range of topics for this year’s SciWorld is every bit as broad, hosted by people with years of SIMming experience in two dedicated SciWorld chat rooms! Split into three different blocks starting at different times on each day, the convention has been designed with accessibility in mind. It doesn’t matter what time zone you’re in – you’ll still have a chance to take part in at least some of the SciWorld fun. Holding down a 9-5 weekday job? SciWorld will still be going by the time you hit the weekend, so you can rock on up and join in the fun! You can find the full schedule, split into events listed by date and time, in 6 different time zones here: http://goo.gl/DDN75P As if that isn’t enough of a draw, two of UFOP: Starbase 118's command team will be hosting events on SciWorld’s weekend slot – Captain Greir Reinard will be walking you through how to write realistic relationships and Fleet Captain Diego Herrera will be guiding you through how to write a character arc! It’s always great when members of the fleet attend events like this to support the group’s staff but, while you’re there, why not check out some of the other fantastic chats? Whether it’s chat room 1 (http://goo.gl/wRXkUW ) or chat room 2 (http://goo.gl/jTMxZm ), there’s plenty to keep you amused, entertained and inspired! ** New Academy Graduates ** Please welcome our newest Academy graduates to the UFOP: StarBase 118 fleet: Hemi Te Ariki, Alexander Matthews (returning), and Ronan Adair-Walker (returning)! http://goo.gl/zaixNF ** Lower Decks: Lieutenant Alora DeVeau ** :: A deep pulse of bass music opens up with a graphic of turbolift flashes over the screen before the screen lights raise up to focus in on Vulcan man seated in a chair with a pair of ceramic coffee mugs on a small table between his chair and the as of yet off screen occupied one. :: Sopek: Hello and Greetings. My name is Sopek and it is time once more for an installment of The Lower Decks. Where we leave behind the center chair and big office and go down below to speak with the crew of the vessels and bases in Starfleet. ::He shifts slightly to meet the changing camera and waves a hand to the other chair.:: Tonight’s guest is Lieutenant, junior grade, Alora DeVeau. She serves as a science officer on the USS Mercury. Good Evening Lieutenant. DeVeau: Sochya, Sopek, and good evening. It is a pleasure to be here. ::The face of the young woman immediately lights up with a smile. She perches upon her chair, her back straight, posture flawless, but she holds an air of ease about her. A moment is taken as her green flick down to peer into the coffee mug closest to her, slide up toward the camera, then back over to her host.:: Sopek: So Lieutenant tell us what being a science officer means to you. DeVeau: What being a science officer means to me. Hm. ::She leans back and throws one arm over the rest of her chair as she considers the question.:: DeVeau: Well, it means an opportunity to explore the unexplored, to discover, whether it be something completely new, or just gain a better understanding of the knowledge we currently have. It means a chance to do something worthwhile and maybe even help others. Sopek: And do you find yourself easier to accomplish those goals on a technologically advanced ship as the Mercury? DeVeau: To be honest, I would say yes. At least, there’s more of a potential to do so. I’ve only been a aboard the Mercury a few months – I just graduated this past August. In fact, I arrived right in the middle of a mission and thus far have only two missions under my belt. Actually, if you want to get right down to it, a mission and a half. Sopek: With such a fresh faced approach to life in Starfleet, how does it compare to academy life for you? DeVeau: It’s crazy. Sopek: ::His head shifts slightly.:: Would you care to elaborate? DeVeau: In Academy, the training is excellent, don’t get me wrong. They throw all sorts of things at you, things you’d never expect and it helps, but in real life…well, it’s less controlled. You don’t have safeties or professors who will pull the plug if things get too insane. You can really get hurt. It’s sobering, I guess. Sopek: How do you cope with the real dangers then once they have passed? ::The question should have been expected, but Alora’s answered is preceded with silence. Her gaze lowers and her hands are awarded with an intense scrutiny for a moment. Finally, those green eyes tear away and she fixes them upon Sopek.:: DeVeau: That’s a good question. I guess you could say I’m still trying to figure that out. It helps to have friends to talk to – and of course we’re fortunate to have a Counselor available as well. Sopek: ::With a nod.:: Have you always found yourself interested in science? ::Alora’s expression relaxes and a bit of light returns to her visage.:: DeVeau: Oh yes, I’ve always been fascinated with it, particularly with my fields of specialty. I’d read as much as I could and go out and bring back specimens to study. At least, that’s what I would tell my mom when she’d complain. It was all in the interest of science! Sopek: What made you decide to enlist in Starfleet? DeVeau: Well, first, there’s the chance to go to far off places, places you’ve only heard of in books and reports. I’ve known a few people from different races and planets on Terra and I’ve learned a lot from them, but to go and see the galaxy and all the wonders it holds. ::As she speaks, Alora’s hands grow animated.. Her fingers contract, then spread apart as if mimicking a burst, then spread apart, as if stretching across a miniature galaxy.:: DeVeau: It’s just far too exciting and interesting to keep me on Earth. Don’t get me wrong, I miss it, but there’s just so much out there, you know? ::Her hands fall back to her lap and her smile has increased in its brilliance.:: DeVeau: Second, you just can’t help but imagine what sort of people you meet or flora and fauna you’ll come across. Maybe you’ll discover a new species that could be beneficial to everyone. There’s so much potential when you go beyond your home world. Sopek: Will your obvious love of exploration and discovery lead you into the command structure? Perhaps to your own ship? ::At that, Alora shakes her head.:: DeVeau: Oh no, I highly doubt the latter. My goal would be Chief Science Officer, but I really don’t see myself commanding my own ship. ::Of course, anything was possible, but it was not a position in which Alora honestly saw herself. Things could always change, but at the moment her goal was fixed.:: Sopek: A goal you seem headed for directly considering your quick rise through the ranks so far. How do you spend your free time? DeVeau: I enjoy a variety of pursuits. ::And she certainly made good use of the ship’s resources that were at her disposal.:: DeVeau: I study the martial art Aikido, I keep up with the languages I know, I’m trying to learn Klingon. I also play a couple of instruments and sing so try to keep up with my practise. I’ve been learning to play the Vulcan harp as well as been exploring Earth and Vulcan with a friend. Sopek: How are you finding your comparisons between Vulcan and Earth? DeVeau: Vulcan is definitely hot so I can finally say I understand the term ‘Hotter than Vulcan’. It has its own beauty, though, and its culture is far more diverse than I ever realised. Sopek: :: A nod of acknowledgement.:: Have you interest in any other planets as exploration targets? DeVeau: Oh of course. I’d like to explore as many as possible. ::Vulcan was only the tip of the iceberg. Actually, it wasn’t even the tip, just a snowflake on the tip most of the peak.:: DeVeau: I’m currently exploring Vulcan mainly because Saveron is from there. Sopek: And Saveron is? DeVeau: He was the Chief Medical Officer aboard the Mercury. Well, actually, we’re now aboard the Garuda. Anyway, he’s a friend and has been teaching me a lot about Vulcan history as well as the Nel-Gathic dialect of the Vulcan language. Sopek: You come from a background of a family in the commercial sector, does that influence how you approach problems? ::Ah, her father. His company was well known throughout the galaxy, and he’d had his share of dealings with various races, including the Ferengi.:: DeVeau: Honestly? Not at all. I’ve never really had an interest in business. That’s my father’s field, not mine and it’s never influenced me in that aspect. Sopek: Can you share with us some of your more memorable missions? ::That question actually elicits soft laughter from the lieutenant.:: DeVeau: Both of them? I fear I’m not the most interesting interviewee, I’ve actually only been involved in two missions. Actually, if you want to get technical, one and a half. ::She’d said that before – she was getting redundant!:: I arrived on the Mercury right in the middle of the mission at 83 Leonis. ::There’s a brief pause as she considers the question a little more thoroughly.:: DeVeau: Of the two, I’d have to say the second one, when we were searching for the Gateway. That in of itself makes it memorable, but getting kidnapped also sort of makes that mission difficult to forget. ::She freezes and turns her gaze straight to the camera.:: DeVeau: Is this live? Er…could we edit that? Sopek: I am sorry. DeVeau: Oh boy. ::She hadn’t divulged certain details to her father about that mission. She had a feeling she was going to get an earful.:: Sopek: Although we may be able to fix it in later airings. DeVeau: I…think the damage is done. ::Her family was probably watching that very moment. No doubt they would attempt to ping her as soon as she was off the air. She was really going to get it.:: Sopek: So what led you to your choices of botany and zoology in Starfleet academy. DeVeau: I’ve always held a fascination for plants and animals. There’s such an enormous variety, even just on one planet not to mention what you find when you visit other solar systems. They’re complicated and amazing in their ability to adapt and survive not to mention how they function together in an ecosystem. We always had plants in the house growing up – and always had animals too since I seemed to attract any and every stray and injured creature within a ten kilometer radius. Sopek: A skill I am sure will help you attain much within Starfleet given your outlook on life. I’d like to thank you for taking the time to speak to me today. DeVeau: Thank you for inviting me. ::She lifts her hand in a ta’al accompanying it with a bright smile.:: DeVeau: Dif-tor heh smusma.
With the departure of FltCapt. Sidney Riley, a spot on the Executive Council has opened up. The current Captain At Large, FltCapt. Diego Herrera, has been chosen by the current EC members to replace Riley as a full member of the council. FltCapt. Herrera was interviewed in January (http://goo.gl/fTA0ZM ) after being decorated in the yearly awards ceremony, and appointed to the Captain at Large position. He was recently promoted to the rank of Fleet Captain (http://goo.gl/Xbb22N ) in August of last year. For more information about what members of the Executive Council (http://goo.gl/xFJO3c ) do, be sure to check out the appropriate page on our website. ** Congratulations Captain Greir Reinard ** The Executive Council of UFOP: StarBase 118 is pleased to announce the promotion of Commander Greir Reinard to the rank of captain. This is an honor of highest proportions in our community, and we’re truly happy to see someone with such a unique voice, and clear talent in the role of commanding officer.
After promotion to commander last August, Captain Reinard (http://goo.gl/mxYLoU ) was given authorization to begin his practical examination aboard an entirely new vessel, the USS Darwin-A (http://goo.gl/yJqR5H ). This unique science vessel, of Star Trek Online design, has been the subject of many interesting plots since then.
Be sure to offer Captain Reinard your congratulations (http://goo.gl/993P1P ), and we wish the crew of the Darwin the best of luck on their adventures.
----------------------------------- May 6, 2014Welcome to Memory 118!
Fleetmates, Welcome to Memory 118! We are pleased to announce that the Non-Canon Encyclopedia has been transformed into Memory 118, and it’s only just beginning. In addition to the articles from the NCE, Memory 118 is categorized to make it easier to find the information you’re looking for – or find inspiration when you need it. Over the next few weeks, we’ll spotlight a few of the new areas you may have a particular interest in helping to build -- all while adding depth to your character and the world we write in. New Section: Medical Records Ever what happens after that medical check-in fresh out of the academy? Chances are, it ends up right here. are “vital” to StarFleet operations, and now you can create your own template-driven LCARS styled medical and counseling records. And here’s an added bonus for our medical officers and counselors. Ever wonder just what your character saw when they looked into Ensign Ricky’s medical file? How great would it be to be able to respond, “I see you suffered from Orkett’s disease …” in an internally consistent manner? So have at it! Create a medical record for your character and see where it takes you. Your doctor may just thank you for it … May 10, 2014Weekly Newsletter 2391.19
Happy Mother’s Day weekend, fleetmates! FLEET EVENTS Fleet Chat
Top Sims Contest
Featured Bio Contest
Writing Challenge
Community Calendar
This Week on Memory 118
(newest at the top, oldest at the bottom) 2. 2014 Fundraising Goal Completed – Thanks To All Who Donated! : http://goo.gl/6iknqm 3. Academy Diploma and Transcript Now Available on the Wiki: http://goo.gl/ukfO9w 4. Welcome to Memory 118: http://goo.gl/Ap43es 5. April Plot Summary for the USS Excalibur-A: http://goo.gl/g3BnTm 6. May Featured Bio Winner: http://goo.gl/UgulB6 7. Donation Thanks to Two Members: http://goo.gl/anUIa9 8. May Fleetwide OOC Chat: http://goo.gl/3qriLr 9. April Plot Summary for the USS Darwin-A: http://goo.gl/gLp0NE
** Forums Roundup – May 2014 ** It’s hard to believe how fast time is moving. Summer is just around the corner, and everything is getting really busy before break from school and other activities. We know you probably have a lot going on, but We urge you to take a moment and check out the happenings around the Starbase 118 Forums. A new writing challenge is due soon. There has been some great writing so far this year and we’re looking forward to much more. Throw your entry into the mix by following the guidelines and entering here: http://goo.gl/d7dxyQ Check out the many guilds that we have here at Starbase 118. There’s something here for everyone, so stop by, say hi, and join up today. http://goo.gl/Ww8p7W There’s a new column in the community news. Emergency Rations aims to offer writers some neat prompts that help us take the story in new and un-thought-of directions. Check it out and then share how you used the suggestions here: http://goo.gl/9ReqIs Have you seen a great sim lately? Be sure to nominate the best of the best to the Top Sims contest here: http://goo.gl/7NVPBt And don’t forget, there are always a ton of fun things to do that help the Fleet at the same time. Stop by this thread and learn more about what you can do that involves giving back at the same time! http://goo.gl/4lT19l Even as time speeds by, there are plenty of things to do. While we’re all looking forward to the summer, be sure to take advantage of the happenings going on right now! ** 2014 Fundraising Goal Completed – Thanks To All Who Donated! ** Through the generosity of our members, we’ve hit our 2014 (revised - http://goo.gl/m6Oot1 ) goal of $905 of fundraising, required to pay for our site assets and hosting. Many thanks to the following people who submitted donations in the past week, some of them having given repeatedly over the past few years: Kael Thomas (Darwin), Ben Livingston (Excalibur), Greir Reinard (Darwin), Dale McGregor (Garuda), Sundassa Faranster (Apollo), Anora Manar (on leave), Diego Herrera (Vigilant), as well as Dueld taJoot (Vigilant) and Raj Blueheart (Atlantis) who contributed very generously. If you have a few minutes, please take a look at our donations news archive (http://goo.gl/vTuZ5t ), where names of past members who’ve donated are on display. Our site is entirely dependent on the contributions of members. For more information about the costs of keeping our site online, or to make a one-time or even start a monthly donation, please head to our Donation Station page: http://goo.gl/GMiyLI Donating only takes a few moments via PayPal. We’ll never see your credit card information here at StarBase 118, and you’ll be using the same secure system that powers millions of eBay transactions every day. ** Academy Diploma and Transcript Now Available on the Wiki ** Our resident wiki wizard, Roshanara Rahman of the Garuda, has conjured another amazing feature for wiki profiles: Academy diplomas and transcripts! There are two designs available for the diploma — one for those who graduated from the Academy before 2390, and one for those who graduated after (reflecting the different com badges from those eras). The transcript calculates GPA and allows you to fill in all the courses your character studied through at the Academy. Use one, or both, and display them together on a profile sub-page if you want. Full instructions are available, explaining how to use the easy templates: http://goo.gl/Ba2Giv ** Welcome to Memory 118 ** Welcome to Memory 118 (http://goo.gl/Ap43es )! We are pleased to announce that the Non-Canon Encyclopedia has been transformed into Memory 118, and it’s only just beginning. In addition to the articles from the NCE, Memory 118 is categorized to make it easier to find the information you’re looking for – or find inspiration when you need it. Over the next few weeks, we’ll spotlight a few of the new areas you may have a particular interest in helping to build -- all while adding depth to your character and the world we write in. New Section: Medical Records (http://goo.gl/4pE0SD ) Ever what happens after that medical check-in fresh out of the academy? Chances are, it ends up right here. Medical records are “vital” to StarFleet operations, and now you can create your own template-driven (http://goo.gl/5HfSGO ) LCARS styled medical and counseling records. And here’s an added bonus for our medical officers and counselors. Ever wonder just what your character saw when they looked into Ensign Ricky’s medical file? How great would it be to be able to respond, “I see you suffered from Orkett’s disease (http://goo.gl/kuH0Ft ) …” in an internally consistent manner? So have at it! Create a medical record for your character and see where it takes you. Your doctor may just thank you for it … ** April Plot Summary for the USS Excalibur-A ** The crew of USS Excalibur-A continued their search for information pertaining to the mysterious spatial phenomenon in the area surrounding Erscyne Station. A plan to use chroniton radiation to discover information about what is inside the phenomenon, and the locations of missing crew are identified. An arrangement was reached with Erscyne Station to share information and work together to solve the mystery. Soon after, Lieutenant Silveira attempted to fly a shuttle into the void to collapse it, against direct orders. After returning him to the ship and confining him within a security force field, Fleet Captain Nicholotti decides to try a similar approach herself. While the crew coordinated the transport of the missing crew back to the ship, she orders a fighter prepared for the mission and flies out toward the void. The crew are returned to the ship via mass-transport (leaving some crew injured upon arrival) only moments before Nicholotti flies into the void. She successfully closes the void, saving Excalibur and Erscyne station, but in doing so, she is lost to Excalibur, eventually classified as Missing in Action, Presumed Dead. After a briefing to regroup, Lt. Commander Livingston orders the staff off-duty until a memorial service the following morning. ** May Featured Bio Winner ** Lieutenant Commander Eerie is the chief of security and tactical aboard the USS Vigilant NCC-75515-A. The Brikar officer began his career as a tactical officer and has served previously on the USS Aurora, the USS Avandar where he first moved into the role of department chief, and USS Vigilant. He is an ambitious officer who has set his sights on working towards becoming a commander and then moving on to be a commanding officer someday. One of Eerie’s most difficult missions to date was the ‘Eden’ mission where the USS Avandar crashed on an alien world and the crew spent 10 years trying to pick up the pieces. During that time the Bolian he’d been dating died in childbirth, leaving him to raise a child alone. Crewman Debarres was among those who helped him and it brought the two of them closer together in friendship. One of his friends turned rogue and started acting against the survivors along with a few other rebels who broke away. When it later turned out that everything they’d experienced had not been real those actions continued to scar the relationship. When that friend died on a later mission it became one of Eerie’s regrets that he hadn’t been a better, more forgiving friend and managed to mend their friendship. A later mission on the USS Vigilant would see Eerie face another illusion, this time created by an alien species as part of a social experiment. During the ‘Ravensville’ experience he led the life of a Police Captain and was known as Mark ‘Eerie’ Swift. He sometimes finds himself using the odd strange remark, or exhibiting ‘un-Brikar like’ behaviour learned in that situation. Congratulations to Lieutenant Commander Eerie! His bio (http://goo.gl/QPmHYe ) will be displayed on the wiki’s front page (http://goo.gl/k9lXGz ) for the month of April. This month, our star pick bio belongs to Commander Raj Blueheart (http://goo.gl/Fpb41a ), so congratulations to him as well. As always, you can find out more about the contest at its wiki page (http://goo.gl/prKcfZ ) or in its forum (http://goo.gl/5xsJav ). Round 7 is now open, so be sure to drop by and submit your nominations! ** Donation Thanks to Two Members ** This week, we had two members donate: Alexander Richards of the USS Gemini, and James of the USS Darwin-A. Donations like these help keep our website ad free and ensure that we’ll fulfill our yearly fundraising goals! Can you donate $10, $25, or $50 today to help sustain our community? (http://goo.gl/mGAoJz ) ** May Fleetwide OOC Chat ** Mark your calendars for the next fleetwide chat, coming up on Sunday, May 11th at 10am Pacific / 1pm Eastern (US) / 6pm BST (UK) / 3am Monday UTC+11 (AUS). Always check your timezone for accuracy/DST if applicable! To participate, simply head to our online chat room, at: http://www.starbase118.net/chat (http://goo.gl/i4BhfR ) — if you have problems connecting, use the instructions listed below the chat box. Our fleetwide chats are a space for all the members of the StarBase 118 group to get together and talk in real time about everything that’s happening within the group. Come by and see what goings-on are happening off your ship. Chats are always held on the second Sunday of every month, but you can head into the chat room at any time to see who else is there. ** April Plot Summary for the USS Darwin-A ** With the freighter and it’s illegal cargo now overdue for delivery, owing to its confinement along with the crew on the USS Darwin NCC-99312-A, a Tellarite with something to lose made contact. He was understandably surprised to see the face of Lieutenant Commander Thomas and the bridge crew, instead of his Laudean collaborators. After some pointed threats the communication cut off, leaving the crew of the Darwin with more questions than answers.
As Captain Reinard was successfully treated in sickbay and once again in control of all his faculties the order was given to head to Deep Space 6. With everything in place, their arrival at Deep Space 6 began a period of shore leave which the crew grabbed by the horns with no delay.
With the Multi-Cultural fair in full swing aboard the Station the crew had more than enough to keep them occupied. With classes ranging from Cardassian bone carving, to how to roast a Klingon Bok-Rat the crew’s horizons were broadened in every direction. Amidst the excitement of the fair, the crew of the Darwin along with Fleet Captain Diego Herrera got the rare pleasure to celebrate in the promotion of their very own Commanding Officer, to Captain.
Once the glasses were cleared and the crew awoke, a new day and new mission for the Crew of the Darwin roused them back to duty. With the USS Valorous unable to be contacted after making a follow up visit to planet Asav, the Darwin is dispatched to investigate.
----------------------------------- May 13, 2014Welcome to Memory 118 - Academy Transcripts
As you explore Memory 118, you may come across the area. It’s not uncommon for characters to reflect on the good times they had at the Academy, but no matter what the memories, it was not picnic. Everyone at the Academy is taking classes and building their repertoire of skills as they work toward their final degree. Now, it’s easier than ever to show off the classes your character has taken. The new Academy Transcript template is a great place to start. It’s one of many templates that can help you build your Academy course load, and it comes complete with a diploma to proudly display. Of course, you’ll want to select courses from the newly revamped curriculum area. Whatever path you took through StarFleet Academy, the transcript and accompanying diploma are a great way to deck out your bio page and show your shipmates just what your character can do. Many thanks to Roshanara Rahman of the Garuda (Rich) for his tireless work on this! May 17, 2014Weekly Newsletter 2391.20
Happy weekend, fleetmates! FLEET EVENTS Fleet Chat
Top Sims Contest
Featured Bio Contest
Writing Challenge
Community Calendar
This Week on Memory 118
Poll of the Week
(newest at the top, oldest at the bottom) 2. Tyler Kelly Wins March/April Writing Challenge: http://goo.gl/v1mlYe 3. New Academy Graduates: http://goo.gl/a98PGL 4. Emergency Rations: Planting Ideas : http://goo.gl/4UqYCj 5. Donation Thanks to Ian Lane West: http://goo.gl/lFuUIW 6. Welcome to Memory 118: http://goo.gl/Ap43es 7. April Plot Summary for the USS Vigilant-A: http://goo.gl/tKEw6K 8. Last Week’s Poll: Unknown Captains : http://goo.gl/uJEBym 9. April 2014 Post Totals: http://goo.gl/5n0mZE 10. May Fleetwide OOC Chat Redux: http://goo.gl/zALQLH 11. April Plot Summary for Duronis II Embassy: http://goo.gl/Fhg4i1 12. SciWorld: An Online Convention Experience : http://goo.gl/ljKKzV
** Poll of the Week: You Versus.. .. ** I have been SIMming with this group for many, many years now. During that time, I have changed my character dramatically to make it more interesting for me to SIM year in and year out. As such, I have led my character to almost become evil over time where she might even go rogue and turn on her fellow crew-mates. Knowing that would be a sure-fire way to end my character’s career within the fleet, I never took her that far. This week we’ll be looking one again at the hypothetical and will be, once again, a double-edged poll. Both polls will deal with your main character should they turn on the Federation. The first poll will deals with who you think your character, of the five main Captains portrayed in the various Star Trek series’, would be the most difficult for your character to defeat in battle given equal strength and crew skill level? The second is who do you think would be the easiest given the same? Why? Are there different skill-sets needed to battle each Captain differently, or would you use the same tactics for each? Do you think that your character is even capable of defeating the main Star Trek series’ Captains, or do you think this is not a fair fight, and no Captain has a chance against your character? We here at the Poll of the Week are looking forward to your votes and responses. So head on down to the polls (http://goo.gl/gqrnmU ) and let us know. Let the battle commence! ** Tyler Kelly Wins March/April Writing Challenge ** Congratulations to Travis, aka Tyler Kelly (and formerly Colt Daniels), on his first Writing Challenge win! His story “The Bunny Abides” (http://goo.gl/whejhQ )was written in response to the “Rabbits” Writing Challenge (http://goo.gl/xUZCrO ) of March & April 2014. This unique Challenge topic prompted several interpretations, from “The Bunny Abides” to the runner-up, Jalana Laxyn’s Alice in Wonderland-inspired “Watch your head!” (http://goo.gl/SAEWNk ) Judges noted the difficulty of deciding this Challenge, and they hope that you’ll take a look at the complete March & April Challenge compilation (http://goo.gl/uDs1rT ) to read through the fine stories for yourself! Of “The Bunny Abides,” judges were effusive in their praise. Toni Turner wrote, “It was a fast moving plot, that sucked you in from beginning to end, gave hope for the characters’ survival, then snatched it away, staying true to the premise of the research being a “total failure.”” Sal Taybrim, winner of the previous Challenge and new judge for the Writing Challenges, wrote that she “found this idea the most compelling and it had the most lingering, haunting ending.” This story takes the Challenge’s titular creature in a completely unexpected direction, and it’s one that you’ll have to discover for yourself when you read this winning story! The next Challenge, “Do what is right, not what is easy,” (http://goo.gl/EzyG6L ) is already up, so hurry over to the Writing Challenge forums (http://goo.gl/hAIQpF ) for more! ** New Academy Graduates ** Please welcome our newest Academy graduates to the UFOP: StarBase 118 fleet: Ayhan (http://goo.gl/TX2oKJ), Lyanna Avery, Lina Taaveti and Gambytt Djordjevic (http://goo.gl/2PIFPC )! ** Emergency Rations: Planting Ideas ** Welcome to Emergency Rations, where each month we highlight details from the worlds of Star Trek and UFOP: StarBase 118 to fuel your fandom, inspire your writing, and help bring your sim to life. This month, we’re thinking about Flora. Plants. Arboreal life forms (http://goo.gl/ogAv7G ), even. April showers bring May flowers, and sometimes, May flowers bring terrifying alien death spores. What creativity will blossom at UFOP: StarBase 118 this month? Let’s find out. You have caught up on your reading; you have scrolled through all the forums; you have read the entire wiki again. You’re still one idea short of writing that post, and it’s so frustrating you could pull your hair out by the roots and chuck your computer on the old compost pile. Relax. It’s time to break out the Emergency Rations… I’m guessing you’ve written about plants before now. You’ve scanned vegetation for the botany officer (http://goo.gl/ti81fl ) while exploring a new planet. You’ve strolled through the local gardens (http://goo.gl/R7MAuH ), arboretum, or ship’s hydroponics bay (http://goo.gl/DuZ0e5 ). You’ve gone on about that fern in your quarters, how you love it, or you hate it, or you suspect it has psychic powers. Let’s keep the ideas growing, and see what else crops up. As you chew your way through your rations, think about how you can seed these items and ideas into your sim. When you’ve succeeded, tell us about it on the forum (http://goo.gl/84gKJw ). We’d love to hear how you’ve put your creativity to use! Your Basic Plants. Whether in the real world or a universe of fictional worlds, plants are everywhere. Infinite varieties on infinite planets. They decorate our quarters, enrich our memories of home, and grow in beakers in Sickbay, mutating into predatory mantraps when the CMO looks away for just one minute, just one gol-darned minute! What plants might exist on the familiar worlds of Star Trek (http://goo.gl/yGgu0R )? What plants are to be found in the unique world of UFOP: Starbase 118 (http://goo.gl/MUOrNQ )? How do plants factor in to your memories? Do you notice them on away missions? Are they used for good (http://goo.gl/IE5eyS )? Can they be altered and abused (http://goo.gl/Tg8pMz )? Mold. Is it as much a reality on a starship as it is on most planets? What are the consequences of choosing a water shower over a sonic shower, if your quarters are so equipped (http://goo.gl/gxg049 )? Does your bathroom clean itself? Or does the task fall to some poor “Specialist (http://goo.gl/5DlDeT )”? Is fungus an ingredient (http://goo.gl/BYmIVQ ) in your favorite food or drink? Vegetative Variety. Plants are in our environment, culture, and even language. Here’s some further ideas to cultivate: Flowers used in a ceremony (http://goo.gl/Oe09fZ ) – any similar traditions back home? Crops of the future (http://goo.gl/EwR9Ji ) – does this make Duotriticale a heritage grain? Vegetable Dishes (http://goo.gl/iRfsoc ) – time to reprogram your replicator. Plants as interior decoration (http://goo.gl/Rth4N1 ). And last – how about a Family Tree (http://goo.gl/MwDRj1 )? Please visit the forum (http://goo.gl/84gKJw ) and let us know how you used these ideas in your writing! Happy simming! ** Donation Thanks to Ian Lane West ** Many thanks to Ian Lane West of the USS Gemini, who donated recently. Donations like this help keep our website ad-free and ensure that we’ll fulfill our yearly fundraising goals! Can you donate $10, $25, or $50 today to help sustain our community? http://goo.gl/V6z2Pt ** Welcome to Memory 118 ** As you explore Memory 118 (http://goo.gl/Ap43es ) you may come across the Academy Transcripts (http://goo.gl/EexXvV) area. It’s not uncommon for characters to reflect on the good times they had at the Academy, but no matter what the memories, it was not picnic. Everyone at the Academy is taking classes and building their repertoire of skills as they work toward their final degree. Now, it’s easier than ever to show off the classes your character has taken. The new Academy Transcript template (http://goo.gl/Ra02XC ) is a great place to start. It’s one of many templates that can help you build your Academy course load, and it comes complete with a diploma to proudly display. Of course, you’ll want to select courses from the newly revamped curriculum area (http://goo.gl/wwOidN ). Whatever path you took through StarFleet Academy, the transcript and accompanying diploma are a great way to deck out your bio page and show your shipmates just what your character can do. Many thanks to Roshanara Rahman of the Garuda (Rich) for his tireless work on this! ** April Plot Summary for the USS Vigilant-A ** Following the discovery of a sentient species on Eridax that demanded their immediate departure, the crew of the USS Vigilant, NCC-75515-A returned to Deep Space 6 to be confronted by a difficult set of personnel reassignments. First officer, Lieutenant Commander A’ern Zerxes, was reassigned at short notice to tend to a crisis on the Al-Leyan homeworld, leaving a void in the command staff that needed to be filled. Pulling in a few favours to overturn a transfer to the USS Darwin-A, Fleet Captain Diego Herrera approached Lieutenant Commander Aribelle Tagren and recruited her for the role. Meanwhile, the crew’s participation in a food and culture festival aboard DS6 was cut short by the arrival of Rear Admiral Andrus Jaxx, the bearer of orders from Starfleet Command. Over the Romulan border, on a research station in orbit of Gamma Crucis III, an attack from Federation ships had been reported, resulting in damage not only to the station but potentially to Federation/Romulan relations as well. In the interests of preserving the peaceful relations with the Romulan Star Empire that the Federation had been enjoying, Starfleet Command had decided to dispatch the Vigilant and both flag officers to investigate the Romulans’ claims and find out how much truth they held… …because if there had been an attack by Federation ships, someone was going to need to bring the perpetrators to justice. ** Last Week’s Poll: Unknown Captains ** Over the years, Star Trek has revealed that the Enterprise was commanded by many different officers. James Kirk, Jean Luc Picard and Jonathan Archer being the most famous because their missions were on screen. But there were also many others whose missions we never saw, for they were never filmed, such as the voyages of the Enterprise under Christopher Pike, John Harriman and Rachel Garrett. This week we’ll be conducting a Poll to see who was your favorite Captain of the Enterprise whom you would have liked to have seen more of on screen and as always, please let us know why. So head on down to the polls (http://goo.gl/TJvwXJ ) and let the voting commence. ** April 2014 Post Totals ** As part of the ongoing overview of the fleet as a whole, here are the monthly figures for total posts for each ship. This summary will give you an idea of how active the ship is on a month-by-month basis. With the decommissioning of the USS Tiger-A, the fleet is now looking slightly leaner at 8 ships, but enthusiasm has not been dampened, as the total of SIMs submitted in April was only 17 less than the amount sent in during March! After losing a ship, this is a great sign that the community are banding together and getting stuck in so thanks to everyone for your contributions! As a result, the average number of SIMs per ship rose by 20 from last month. Our next chart gives the number of sims for each ship over the course of April. Some ships have seen a massive increase in post totals and there has been a general upward trend in SIM rates across the board. It looks like we’re on the road to recovery after a slower than usual March, and if things continue to speed up at the rate they are then we’re in for a phenomenal May. ** May Fleetwide OOC Chat Redux ** Due to a conflict between the May Fleet Chat and Mother’s Day in the US we have decided to hold another Fleet Chat this month on Sunday, May 18th at 10am Pacific / 1pm Eastern (US) / 6pm BST (UK) / 3am Monday UTC+11 (AUS). Always check your timezone for accuracy/DST if applicable! To participate, simply head to our online chat room, at: http://goo.gl/edT2qF — if you have problems connecting, use the instructions listed below the chat box. Our fleetwide chats are a space for all the members of the StarBase 118 group to get together and talk in real time about everything that’s happening within the group. Come by and see what goings-on are happening off your ship. Chats are always held on the second Sunday of every month, but you can head into the chat room at any time to see who else is there. ** April Plot Summary for Duronis II Embassy ** At the beginning of the month the crew of the USS Thunder NCC-70605-A was still evacuating the archaeological digs in the Quentisi Mountain Range. After being engaged by several metal creatures, several member of the crew sustained injuries, to include the first officer, Lieutenant Commander Nugra. Once the team consolidated and addressed the injuries, they returned to the shuttle in order to return to Duronis II and begin shore leave. During shore leave the former Captain Tyr Waltas, who laterally transferred to Colonel in the Star Fleet Marines, was assigned to the Embassy of Duronis and assumed command of the Marine detachment at the Embassy. When he arrived, his presence was not well received by the current Marine commander. A fight ensued which resulted in both officers being disciplined at the direction of Fleet Captain Toni Turner. The discipline was intense but both officers established a cohesive relationship as a result. The crew ended the month and shore leave at the Mishai Resort. On the final day Captain Tuner hosted a breakfast where Lieutenant S’Lone Tr’Khellian made an special breakfast for each member of the crew. During the breakfast three members of the crew were promoted, a three position changes were announced, and three members of the crew received awards for their actions during the mission on Quentisi Mountain Range. ** SciWorld: An Online Convention Experience ** Last weekend StarBase 118 was one of many sims participating in the online convention SciWorld. Running from Thursday to Sunday over two Internet Relay Chat (IRC) rooms, the convention featured multiple events from online simming demonstrations, discussions on character building, to how to incorporate crossover in games. Session topics included a workshop on website and wiki building, blogging strategies, how to build your writing skills and how to deal with problem players in a game. Other activities included open chat-based simming, a Family Feud style game based on Star Trek trivia and plenty of humorous reminiscing. I even heard that Lt. Commander James got to blow up a starship in an open sim! Sessions were hosted by representatives from over a dozen sims, including our very own Fleet Captain Diego Herrera and Captain Grier Reinard who led sessions on character development and building character relationships. One of the things this reporter found most fascinating about the convention was discussing character and story ideas with simmers who did not come from Star trek based sims. The convention is open to all science-fiction based sims. Representatives of Serenity/Firefly, Stargate, Red Dwarf, Battlestar Galactica, even zombie and post-apocalyptic sims were present. For those who had the chance to attend, it was a great opportunity to get a fresh perspective on simming and new ideas of how to move forward with your own character’s plots and stories. Some of the highlights of the sessions I attended included a talk from a veteran player who admitted they had played up to 34 characters over 29 sims at one point! The session was ‘breaking free from your comfort zone’ and the guest speaker encouraged players to say ‘yes’ when other players throw unusual ideas at them. Instead of always keeping your character in a safe zone, why not run with an unusual idea or a new experience. When creating new characters try subverting archetypes or pinpointing just one character trait you always fall back on and changing it. Don’t change too much at once – you might end up with a character you dislike, but small changes can promote interesting new territory to write about. Another interesting session focused on the importance of editing and grammar in sims. Sometimes typos and mistakes can put your fellow players in a difficult position – do I react to what I think the player meant to say or what they actually said? Talking with players who are struggling with grammar and style and encouraging them to improve can create a better sim for everyone involved. Positive improvement and player communication was an ongoing theme across the convention, and it was great to see so many simmers on the same page trying to improve their games and their craft of writing. There will be another online convention coming up in fall! I encourage simmers new and old to join in – you might learn something new, or maybe meet new friends and reconnect to old ones you haven’t talked to in a while! Try the open sims for a taste of what different styles are like, and it will be a memorable experience for all involved. ----------------------------------- May 24, 2014Weekly Newsletter 2391.21
Happy weekend, fleetmates! FLEET EVENTS Top Sims Contest
Featured Bio Contest
Fleet Chat
Writing Challenge
Community Calendar
Poll of the Week
(newest at the top, oldest at the bottom) 2. Poll of the Week: The Greatest of Them All: http://goo.gl/s4IfBT 3. April Plot Summary for the USS Garuda: http://goo.gl/u4AFWM 4. What Do You Like And Who Can You Tell?: http://goo.gl/MJ86cl 5. April Plot Summary for the USS Gemini: http://goo.gl/Ojq4nK 6. Lower Decks: Lieutenant Mei’konda: http://goo.gl/ifu0fa 7. Promotions for April 2014: http://goo.gl/QXgF0j 8. New Service Ribbon: The Diplomacy Ribbon: http://goo.gl/cFjYO9
** April Plot Summary for the USS Atlantis ** The surprise attack by the Endangered Jenatris Species radical environmentalist group was thwarted by the timely arrival of Krayav escort vessels. Though the EJS may have vanished for now and taken with them one of the sentient cloud creatures, the crew has a feeling they will bump into them again in the future. One of the attacking activists is currently in the Brig for interrogation. Thus, the Atlantis’ first mission in eight years now draws to a close with the successful delivery of the Grenushi Ambassador to the Krayav government on Uzoka 4 for peace talks between the two civilizations. Though controversy was stirred when the crew discovered the nature of the gift about to be presented to the Krayav, they allow the Cloud Dancers, as the creatures are natively called, to be handed over anyway to fulfill their purpose as telepathic enhancers to aid in global communication – but with the explicit condition that the crew be allowed to observe the treatment and utilization of the Dancers to ensure they are being treated fairly. In addition, the language of the Dancers has been successfully translated by the Science team. Commander Blueheart announces shore leave for the crew – weary after a harrowing 2-day journey to the heart of the Uzoka system – and for repairs to commence on the ship. Together with an exchange of medical databases of both cultures, Blueheart also hopes they are allowed some down time on the planet for shore leave. ** Poll of the Week: The Greatest of Them All ** As spring draws into summer on the north side of our planet, more and more re-runs will be shown on television as networks realized long ago that people would rather spend warm, sunny days outside rather than inside watching the tube. As such, we here at the poll of the week, will follow suit once in awhile this summer as we know sometimes those re-runs can become classics. Just look at the original series of Star Trek itself. If not for re-runs, it may never have become the iconic television show it is today. That being said, this week’s Poll of the Week will be asking a question that has been answered before. But hopefully, with new people around the fleet, we will get different answers. Of the five main Captains that have graced our television screens in the name of Star Trek, who was your favorite and why? Head on down to the polls (http://goo.gl/E0sshs) and let us know who you think was the ultimate Commanding Officer of the small screen trek incarnations. ** April Plot Summary for the USS Garuda ** During April, the crew of the USS Garuda traveled to Zeta Equulei, a K-class star, to meet the two rival alien species, the Community and the Myr Luuk. Both races were quite unusual in appearance. The Community were comprised of one collective consciousness, who used plantlike avatars to communicate with the Starfleet officers. Meanwhile, the Myr Luuks were giant furred centipede-like beings, whose chosen form of communication was to project holograms mimicking the Garuda crew members themselves. Upon arrival at the gas giant and orbiting moons, the crew of the USS Garuda realised that they had stumbled into a system engaged in a cold war, with the Community ships blockading the Myr Luuks. Wanting to not only mediate between the two races, but also investigate reports of some rare artifacts from the lost civilisation of the Ancient Alliance, Captain Egan Manno split her crew into three teams. She sent Lt. Cmdr. Calderan with the Saucer section of the ship to liaise with the Myr Luuks, and a team under FO Commander Ross down to the surface of Zeta Equulei 3 to talk to the representative of the Community, Bodhisattva. Meanwhile, Captain Egan Manno kept her remaining crew upon the Stardrive section of the Garuda, waiting to assist either of the Away Teams. However, whilst doing a system check, Chief Rahman and Ensign Rawlings discovered some damage and potential sabotage in engineering conduits of the Garuda. Soon after, strange disembodied voices started taunting the crew as the Stardrive section was pulled towards a ‘void’ in space, where many Myr Luuk and Community space ships were found drifting and derelict – a veritable ship’s graveyard! ** What Do You Like And Who Can You Tell? ** You’ve been with the fleet now for a few weeks, months or even years and you’re enjoying yourself hugely. You’re roleplaying with a like-minded group of individuals and you’re working on developing your character’s latest plot arc, or contributing to the ship’s current mission. You might be involved in any number of OOC groups, rising through the ranks towards the command chair, making wiki edits, creating graphics for people… there is a huge amount of activities that could make the list of your favourite things to do in the fleet, and every single member has one thing that they enjoy more than anything else, because that’s part of human nature! So who can you tell? Star Trek fans who exist in sci-fi vacuums do exist, but they’re not very common. Which of your friends like Star Trek? Which of your friends like roleplaying? Which of them are writers? Which of them needs a hobby? You talk to your friends about things you enjoy, so when will the fleet come up in conversation? If you tell them about that activity that made it to the top of your list of favourites then they will immediately be able to see and hear how passionate and enthusiastic you are about it. How? Because it will be written all over your face, or it will come out clearly in the way you write about it. Will that be enough to make them give it a try? Maybe… but there’s a nefarious trick you can use to hook them in. You know your friends and you know what they like, so the trick is to see if you can figure out what they would like best about the fleet, and then talk about that right after! Does your friend like writing and consider themselves to be pretty great? Are they competitive? “Hey, there’s actually a bi-monthly writing challenge that you would probably like…” Odds are, they’ll want to know more! Do they love watching TV shows and always talk about the characters? “You get to interact with upwards of 10 other people on your ship, and you get time between missions to make plans about how they will evolve!” They’ll want to know more about that chance for character development and probably the missions, too! Will they stick around with the fleet? Well… once you’ve done the initial job of pushing them in our direction, it’s our job to keep them interested and motivated. We’re confident we can do it. After all, think of it like this: wouldn’t it be cool if you could write with your friends? ** April Plot Summary for the USS Gemini ** After taking heavy damage, the USS Gemini, NCC-80564 retreated to the Celendi Nebula where it met up with the USS Wyoming who was there to bring officer transfers. The two ships worked on a plan to disable the Klingon Bird of Prey. Meanwhile, on the USS Hermes, the SAR team split up into two groups working on a way to either regain control of the ship or destroy it. The Red team successfully took control of Engineering, while the Blue team found the Hermes’ Captain and First Officer and successful won the fight for control of the Bridge. The Wyoming and the Gemini were able to distract the Bird of Prey long enough to beam casualties from the Hermes over. Before they were able to capture the rogue Klingon, Cmdr. Koval, he managed to escape. With their mission completed, the SAR team returned to the Gemini. ** Lower Decks: Lieutenant Mei’konda ** :: A deep pulse of bass music opens up with a graphic of turbolift flashes over the screen before the screen lights raise up to focus in on Vulcan man seated in a chair with a pair of ceramic coffee mugs on a small table between his chair and the as of yet off screen occupied one. :: Sopek: Hello and Greetings. My name is Sopek and it is time for another installment of The Lower Decks. Where we leave behind the center chair and big office and go down below to speak with the crew of the vessels and bases in Starfleet. ::He shifts slightly to meet the changing camera and waves a hand to the other chair.:: Tonight’s guest is Lieutenant Mei’konda. He is the Chief of Operations on the USS Mercury. Good Evening Lieutenant. ::Clasping his hands together over his lap, the Caitian officer smiled nervously toward the holorecorders, then turned his tawny-furred muzzle back over toward the Vulcan host of the program. He reached up to give his uniform collar a few careful tugs, to ensure it was on straight, while his tail twitched nervously behind him. :: Mei’konda: Hello, misterr Sopek. I am honorred to be here. Sopek: So, please tell us, how do you keep such an advanced ship as the Mercury running smoothly. Mei’konda: Ah, a complicaated question, I suppose. Maany of the Mercury’s systems are quiite advaanced, it is true. Like any other ship, we haave procedures, and a very skilled crew. :: The Caitian paused, and rubbed his fuzzy chin. :: The most unique challenge is thaat a large portion of our crew are civiilians. They haave different needs than Starfleet officers. Sopek: There must be a lot to balance then with such a new state of the art ship. Mei’konda: :: The Caitian tipped his head back and looked thoughtful. :: Such is the naature of the job, I suppose. The operaations department is one taasked with a great many things. Sopek: You mentioned the majority of the crew is civilians, what special challenges does that create for you compared to Starfleet officers? Mei’konda: Well, I suppose it requiires a certaain degree of… latitude in regulaations, that civiliaans are not always informed about. Sopek: It must create some tension when the ship is threatened then, yes? :: At this, Mei’konda was quick to shake his head at Sopek before glancing back at the cameras. Mei’konda: Oh, no, it haas never been a problem. The civilian crew are all well informed about emergency proceduures, and during a red alert, we nearrly always sound a general quarters… ah, that is to say, civilian crew are to report to their quaarters until the crisis haas passed. Sopek: You must be proud to be in charge of such a fine group. Please for those watching that may not know, what is the job of a Operations Chief? :: Mei’konda chewed thoughtfully on his bottom lip. :: Mei’konda: An Operaations officer’s primaary job is handling the day to day operation of a staarship. Communicaations and flight operations fall under my depaartment. We play a secondaary role on the Mercury as sensor operators, though thaat is the science department’s primaary responsibility. :: He let out a short laugh. :: I hope that makes sense. Sopek: You find yourself handling those responsibilities well I see. Mei’konda: Oh, well… well enough, I thiink. You would haave to ask the Captaain for his opinion, I suppose. :: He’d never been particularly good at accepting compliments. Something to improve upon. :: Sopek: So how do you spend your free time? Mei’konda: Oh, I have a number of hobbies. Rock climbiing is my favorite, and I enjoy flyiing antique aircraft… you know, the ones that rely on atmospheric pressure for lift. :: He paused, and considered. :: I also haave a large dog. We go on runs together. Sopek: Do you see yourself as a captain later on in your career? :: Hints of a smile crossed the feline man’s face, and he shrugged his shoulders. :: Mei’konda: Not just yet. It will be maany years before I haave to worry about such things, and I know I am not ready for it now. Perhaps some day, though. Sopek: Tell us about the Menthar Corridor, it is a relatively hostile region. :: Mei’konda thought about that for a moment. What could he say, exactly? :: Mei’konda: It is… a very interresting region of spaace. Far outside the Federaation. We haave special permission to conduuct research there, and it is a great opportuniity. An ancient raace known as the Menthar occupied it at one time, and learrning about their culture from whaat they have left behind is… fascinating. Sopek: Is there some of that you’d like to share with us? Mei’konda: Well, we know very little, unfortunaately. We know that they died out in a war. Agaainst a neighboring raace, the Promellians. They went extiinct over a thousaand years ago. Their technology waas quite advanced. It is a sad loss, really. Sopek: Fascinating. Can you tell us about some of the more memorable missions you have been involved in? :: Oh, so many choices. One stood out with particular clarity in the feline man’s mind, however. :: Mei’konda: I suppose my fiirst would be the most memoraable. The Mercury was undergoing a refit. Most of the seniior staaff was off ship, and we receiived a distress signal. It turned out to be the — well, an ancient Federation starship, one thought lost for hundreds of yeaars. We were aable to rescue a survivor. Sopek: What led to their loss for so long? Mei’konda: Ah, well, the… exact mechaanism is one we did not haave a chance to discover. Unfortunaately, the ship, the Constitution class Saratoga, was lost in the process. But, her loss, with no life aboard, enaabled the Mercury to escaape. Sopek: How did the senior staff react when you returned with your report of what happened? :: The Caitian leaned back in his seat, and glanced back over toward the holorecorders. :: Mei’konda: Well, I suppose they werre… pleaased. A successful rescue mission, even when trroublesome, always feels good. Sopek: You have given us many insights into your outlook would you care to close with a personal maxim that you use to guide your outlook and choices? :: A maxim. Mei’konda hesitated. He wasn’t quite sure what to say, and ended up stammering. That’d look good on the cameras, no doubt. :: Mei’konda: Uh… well, my faather was a Starfleet officerr, and I try to liive up to whaat I thiink his staandards would be. It is a high honor for me to be a senior officer on a staarship. Sopek: Thank you for your time here today. Mei’konda: Thaank you, mister Sopek. ** Promotions for April 2014 ** It’s been a big month for promotions! The staff of UFOP: StarBase 118 would like to take a moment and recognize the officers — please be sure to congratulate these folks when you see them in the corridors of your vessel! USS Apollo • Catrova Torv from Ensign to Lieutenant JG • Aidonn Danara from Ensign to Lieutenant JG • Eileen McCleran from Ensign to Lieutenant JG USS Darwin-A • Greir Reinard to Captain • Nathan Baker to Lieutenant Duronis II Embassy • Samal Frazier to Commander (re-promoted) • Nugra to Commander USS Gemini • Alexander Richards to Lieutenant Commander USS Vigilant-A • Udas to Lieutenant ** New Service Ribbon: The Diplomacy Ribbon ** The Captains Council has commissioned a new Service Ribbon, called the Diplomacy Ribbon. This IC achievement is presented to officers who have distinguished themselves by resolving a significantly dangerous or hostile situation through diplomatic means. This is the first ribbon for our ambassadors and diplomats who put words before phasers, and we’re excited to open this to these characters. You can learn more about this ribbon, as well as all of our other Service Ribbons, on the wiki: http://goo.gl/GckrYW ----------------------------------- May 25, 2014Nominate a bio for our contest before June 1st
Fleetmates, We know that for many fleet members, their wiki bio is a source of pride. That's why our Featured Bio contest was established to help recognize those players who take time to create a complete and well-designed bio on the wiki. If you've seen a bio you think someone has put a lot of time and effort into, take a moment to nominate it for recognition in this contest. Nominating is easy and only takes a moment: 1. Check that the bio is for a a CURRENT and ACTIVE member; 2. Check that the character is a PRIMARY or SECONDARY player character. PNPCs are ineligible; 3. Submit the bio on our forum thread before June 1st, to be considered for the next round: http://forums.starbase118.net/index.php?/topic/10040-nominations-for-round-7-ends-june-1st/ A new thread is created in the Featured Bio forum each month, so you can nominate any time you find a great bio. We’re looking for the highest quality bios in the fleet to not only help provide an example for our members on how to structure their bio, but also to show off how much our members put into the creation of realistic and emotional characters. Head to the Featured Bio Contest forum to nominate a bio today! May 31, 2014Weekly Newsletter 2391.22
Happy weekend, fleetmates! FLEET EVENTS Top Sims Contest
Featured Bio Contest
Fleet Chat
Writing Challenge
Community Calendar
Poll of the Week
(newest at the top, oldest at the bottom) 2. Psychology Tomorrow! My Character Hates Counselors: http://goo.gl/nJTD3r 3. Holiday (And Tie-in) Writing Challenges: http://goo.gl/WPF6gC 4. SDC Spotlight: The Zora Fel: http://goo.gl/Ru2VAe 5. April Plot Summary For The USS Apollo: http://goo.gl/oricih 6. New Academy Graduates: http://goo.gl/njuw9P 7. Featured Bio Contest Reminder: http://goo.gl/4pPjSf
** Poll Of The Week: Watching the Watchers ** I would take a wild guess and assume that most of you, if not all of you, have watched episodes of Star Trek. I think that I may have actually seen them all. Some of you may have seen one or two series and others more. But unlike more recent television shows, should you miss one or two episodes of Star Trek, you would not be lost as to what is going on in the show. Pretty much almost every episode of Star Trek could be a stand alone episode. With that being said, this week’s Poll of the Week will nitpick how you watch Star Trek. Do you, or did you, watch them in chronological order or did you just watch them as they were aired? Do you even keep track of the time-line of the episodes? Do you, or did you watch them in order of real time airing or did you watch them based upon Star Trek chronology? Would this have even made a difference to you? Basically, how did, or do you watch Star Trek? In a synchronous form or out of sync? We here at the Poll of the Week are more than curious. So roll up your sleeves and head over to the Polls and let the world know how you watch Star Trek! http://goo.gl/VWtkkz ** Psychology Tomorrow! My Character Hates Counselors ** Good afternoon. You’re listening to ‘Psychology Tomorrow!’ on Federation Public Subspace Radio 2. Psychology Tomorrow is a look at issues, topics, and advice related to the all things Counseling in Starfleet. Here’s your host, Ship’s Counselor Denji Ryan. Hello everyone! Today we examine a question asked by counselor turned science officer, Lt.(JG) Sal Taybrim of the USS Excalibur-A. The question in its simplest form is this: Why do officers hate counselors? Taybrim pointed out that half of the officers aboard the ship he was serving on had outright told him that they don’t like counselors. I too have experienced similar responses in my career. This question sparked quite the fervent conversation in the Counseling Duty Post area of the forums. There were a variety of answers including my character is “naturally shy, and intensely private, and doesn’t like to expose her vulnerabilities”, “It is not a dislike of the counselor, more a dislike with being center of attention for things that bother her”, and perhaps most compelling (and honest which was appreciated) “For what it’s worth, I am one of those players who enjoys ‘broken’ characters, but part of that is not wanting the broken character to be fixed”. So why is this a problem anyways? First and foremost is a recurring theme throughout the discussion pointing to a higher than average turnover rate among counselors. Trying to sim a role that people are reluctant to write with or outright acknowledge they dislike is a sure fire way to discourage players from continuing to play these types of positions. The underlying issue is that there is an assumption that a character who hates counselors will not interact with them. The player won’t write with the poor guy playing the counselor. However, does this really have to be the case? I love what Kaedyn Zehn had to say. He was able to eloquently sum up the ‘gist’ of my opinion and although he recently took a LOA, Lt. Cmdr Kaedyn Zehn gets this month’s ‘Psychology Tomorrow Quote of the Month: With regards to OOC, I often think that the gold rule of simming should be the same as improv: “Yes, and…”. In other words, you don’t deliberately block another player but try to work with what they give you. I think this a great way of playing for, and with, everyone but is especially key here. By immediately saying “No, I don’t like counselors” you are blocking the person simming a counselor rather than playing along with them and it stops them being able to contribute much. By taking on a “yes, and…” approach you can have your character agree to whatever they are comfortable with, perhaps an informal chat rather than an official counseling session, and not prevent another player from contributing. – Kaedyn Zehn Got something to say? Want to see what others are saying? Check out the discussion “My Character Hates Counselors”, started by Sal Taybrim, for yourself here: http://goo.gl/6LI3v4 ** Holiday (And Tie-in) Writing Challenges ** Holiday-themed Writing Challenges have been a recurred several times lately, most recently with March & April 2014's Easter-themed “Rabbits!” Challenge (http://goo.gl/tMjXR9 ). However, these special Challenges are just as likely not to question a holiday you or your character may consider very often; November & December 2013 took their cue from Bonfire Night for “Treason & Plot,” (http://goo.gl/Rxiu0g ) while a Challenge from exactly one year before asked writers to consider “Belief Systems in Trek.” (http://goo.gl/4CKEQc ) If Challenge winners continue to take their ideas from Earthly holidays, there are still plenty of holidays left to choose from — but why not consider something more exotic? Memory Alpha lists plenty of holidays and festivals from across the galaxy (http://goo.gl/S6UpPC ). There are also plenty to choose from in UFoP:SB118 canon; take a look at the list of holidays celebrated by the Embassy on Duronis II (http://goo.gl/GgydLC ), for example. Maybe, if you win a Challenge, you’ll choose to make a January/February Challenge based upon the Laudeans’ Day of Laughter (January 29th)? What holidays or festivals would you like to see as a topic for a future Writing Challenge? Let us know in the Writing Challenge Discussion (http://goo.gl/7yQdN0 ) thread on the forums! And don’t forget: Our current Challenge,“Do what is right, not what is easy,” (http://goo.gl/DpoeIG ) ends on June 24th, so be sure to get your entry in before then! ** SDC Spotlight: The Zora Fel ** “Glory in your enemies strength. It makes victory even sweeter.” – a Zora Fel proverb. The Zora Fel are a species of unusual contradictions. The men are all warriors who exist for battle and conflict, living in harsh, spartan barracks outside of their communities while the females live apart inside their communities with all the comforts of modern living. They were one of the first species to fight the Klingons and for 86 years their war raged across their section of the Beta Quadrant. Finally they were defeated, driven almost to oblivion. It has taken them almost 200 years but they did it. Rebuilt all that they lost and they even gained glory during the Dominion War fighting as elite infantry for the Klingons. Now they survive as a subjugated people, still thirsting for glory and maybe even revenge. Learn more about the Zora Fel on the StarBase 118 Wiki: http://goo.gl/FpFST2 ** April Plot Summary For The USS Apollo ** Once the USS Apollo, NCC-71669 had evacuated all its non-critical personnel and the families from within its walls, it was left with just enough crew to try to hold off the Borg. The shuttle with the Omega was launched by Ensign Eileen McCleran, while Commander Tal Tel-ar and Marine 1st Lieutenants, Karolina Cranford and T’Aven, stood ready for launch. With the Omega launched and detonated, the Apollo flew off to meet the Borg. As they got there, the trio launched, Tel-ar in his shuttle, and the two Marines in their Valkyrie fighter jets. While the Apollo fought one cube, Tel-ar flew his shuttle into the other, crashing, before blowing up the torpedoes on board, and destroying the cube. Extremely injured, Tel-ar was rescued by T’Aven, and delivered to the Apollo. The Apollo held off the Borg for as long as they could, Lieutenant Alexander Williams worked with Lieutenant JG Edward Johnson to make the biggest impact on the remaining cube, and Fleet Captain Andrus Jaxx ordered the warp core be jettisoned. Ensign Catrova Torv obeyed the order, and this did significant damage to both the enemy and them, which prompted Jaxx to order evacuation while Cranford and T’Aven finished the cube. Most of the remaining crew were able to make it to the escape pods, with various degrees of injuries, and ended up waiting in space for their backup and rescue, the USS Carpathia. With the crew from the asteroid, they were delivered to Deep Space 5 to rest. ** New Academy Graduates ** Please welcome our newest Academy graduates to the UFOP: StarBase 118 fleet: Kimiko Chun and Gwen Gardener! http://goo.gl/FGtUdV ** Featured Bio Contest Reminder ** Please remember to nominate a character bio for the latest round of the Featured Bio Contest (http://goo.gl/vMVbHN ) before it closes on Sunday, June 1, 2014. Just check these three simple points: • Nominated articles must be of a player character played by a CURRENT and ACTIVE member. • Nominated articles must be either a PRIMARY or SECONDARY player character. PNPCs are ineligible. • All information in the article must be CURRENT as of the submission date. We’re looking for the highest quality bios in the fleet to not only help provide an example for our members on how to structure their bio, but also to show off how much our members put into the creation of realistic and emotional characters. Head to the Featured Bio Contest forum to nominate a bio today: http://goo.gl/0ibMqS ----------------------------------- Jun 5, 2014June's Voice Fleet Chat - Celebrating Our 20th Anniversary!
June's Voice Fleet Chat On Sunday, June 8, 2014 we will be celebrating UFOP Starbase 118's 20th Anniversary with a very special Voice Chat with the theme “Your favorite personal story of things that have happened (funny or otherwise) during your time at SB118”. Here’s a quick tutorial on how to join the Voice Chat: http://goo.gl/5M2s4d Please try to log in using your character's name so you can be recognized when you speak, and try to join Mumble ahead of time so you will be ready to come time to chat. For those without speakers or microphones, a small box for typing is available. The chat begins at 10am Pacific / 1pm Eastern (US) / 6pm GMT (UK) / 4am Monday UTC+11 (AUS). Always check your time zone for accuracy/DST if applicable. All members are welcome, and we are looking forward to hearing you! Fleet Captain Toni Turner Jun 7, 2014Weekly Newsletter 2391.23
Happy weekend, fleetmates! FLEET EVENTS June’s Fleet Chat
Top Sims Contest
Writing Challenge
Featured Bio Contest
Community Calendar
Poll of the Week
(newest at the top, oldest at the bottom) 2. Poll of the Week: To Play or Not To Play: http://goo.gl/tSMauH 3. Donations Thanks to Patrick McLeod: http://goo.gl/oOFCQa 4. May Plot Summary for the USS Vigilant-A: http://goo.gl/qCuSqu 5. June Featured Bio Winner: http://goo.gl/Pzcn49 6. June Fleetwide OOC Voice Chat: http://goo.gl/NI3QZi 7. Top Sims Contest Round 16 Is Now Open! http://goo.gl/ASz4e9 8. Lower Decks: Lieutenant Brayden Jorey: http://goo.gl/vyyjT0 9. An Island Among Men: http://goo.gl/qdvrp7
** Forums Roundup: June 2014 ** The summer is finally here! But that doesn’t mean the fun has slowed down here at Starbase 118. In fact, there’s even more going on now that school’s out and some of our members have more time to come play. Be sure to stop by the forums to see what you can get into this month. Here are just a few suggestions! The USS Victory is launched again under the command of Commander Nugra. Head over to their forum thread and welcome the newest ship to the 118 Fleet! http://goo.gl/pfO2i2 There are tons of projects and teams that could use your help, even if you only have a few minutes to spare. Head over to our team and group forum to find out more about what we’re doing in various places, on various tasks: http://goo.gl/EgdCun Be sure to jump in and participate in this round of the writing challenge, where we’re asking you to write about doing what is right, rather than what is easy. Thankfully it’s easy to get involved and enter your writing into the contest. Learn more here: http://goo.gl/TZEiQZ Go vote in this runoff round of the top sims contest. There are lots of examples of the best writing throughout our fleet, so take a moment to read the entries and vote on your favorite! http://goo.gl/0YVA89 Don’t forget that we run a new poll of the week each week, and you can always read up on some of the older ones. Head over to the PotW thread to see what we’re asking this week: http://goo.gl/X1zJXC And of course, there’s much, much more! Take a moment to join the fun, all on the Starbase 118 forums today! ** Poll of the Week: To Play or Not To Play ** Years ago I had the opportunity to buy a lifetime edition of Star Trek Online for a really good price. When I first bought it, I played it quite often and enjoyed it quite a bit. However, over time, I began to tire of the same missions over and over again just to gain experience, or get a new ship, or unlock a uniform or whatever. As time went on I just used Star Trek Online to take in-game images. The last time I played Star Trek Online was about two and a half years ago. About a year ago, I bought a new computer and still have not gotten around to installing it on the new machine, but once in awhile, I do visit their forums to see what new and exciting things are going on there. So that brings us to this week’s question here at the Poll of the Week, and it is a simple one. Do you play Star Trek Online? If so, what new things are happening in game that those who have not played in awhile, or those who have never played, should be made aware of? If no, why not? We here at the Poll of the Week are eager to learn of your gaming experiences, so head on down to the polls (http://goo.gl/AQNzCn ) and let us know about your gaming experience with Star Trek Online! ** Donations Thanks to Patrick McLeod ** Many thanks to Patrick McLeod of the USS Apollo, who donated recently. Donations like this help keep our website ad-free and ensure that we’ll fulfill our yearly fundraising goals! Can you donate $10, $25, or $50 today to help sustain our community? http://goo.gl/N3tdjm ** May Plot Summary for the USS Vigilant-A ** This is the final plot summary for the USS Vigilant-A, which has been retired. Look for our new ship’s summary, the USS Victory, next month! The USS Vigilant, NCC-75515-A, had been called into Romulan territory to answer for a reported attack on the research station at Gamma Crucis III by an unknown Federation force. With enough evidence now apparent to confirm the Romulans’ claims, Fleet Captain Diego Herrera and his crew attempted to pour oil on troubled waters by co-operating with the Romulan diplomatic and repair teams to undo some of the damage caused by the attack. The request for a tachyon emitter, however, caused consternation and bore further discussion. As Fleet Captain Herrera returned to the Vigilant-A to consider the request and whether or not leaving Federation technology with the Romulans was advisable, Federation personnel under the command of Lieutenant Commanders Aribelle Tagren and Eerie learned a shocking secret: the Romulans, who had claimed to be working on a modulating shield, were working on developing a phasing cloak! When several Andorian cruisers decloaked and resumed their attack on the station, the crew of the Vigilant-A leapt into action. They were unable to stop the destruction of the station after Senator To’Rul seized power and ordered its self destruction rather than allow their research to fall into Andorian hands. Meanwhile, as the Vigilant disabled Andorian cruisers, they also enabled self-destruct sequences, save for one cruiser, which escaped. Having taken a pounding the Vigilant was unable to pursue, but they were able to identify that the cloaks the ships were using had been loaned, or stolen, from the Klingons before they did. ** June Featured Bio Winner ** Lieutenant Kaitlyn Falcon is the Chief of Helm/Communications and Ops aboard the USS Darwin NCC 99312-A. She and her non-identical twin sister Rebecca were born on the USS Freedom at the end of the Dominion War. Kaitlyn has lived most of her life aboard starships. She left the USS Nova to work for her brother on his freighter the SS Nova, giving her experience of life on Starfleet and Civilian spacecraft. She learned to fly a bulky freighter, patch up damaged systems and shoot pirates with a modified phaser. The experienced would later be described as allowing her to see parts of the Federation that weren’t on tour. Eventually she left and joined Starfleet Academy and when she graduated was assigned to the USS Vigilant. From there she worked through the ranks and was transferred later in the year to the newly launched USS Darwin. Rhino, a beautiful ginger and white Syrian hamster is her pet companion. Kaitlyn’s interest in piloting is such that she keeps a large number of holodeck simulations to keep her skills sharp and will fly any craft, air or space from as many different cultures as she can find. Other hobbies and talents include playing the piano and rock climbing, which was something her mother had enjoyed. Congratulations to Lieutenant Falcon! Her bio (http://goo.gl/Ykx7SH ) will be displayed on the wiki’s front page (http://goo.gl/aLaqzM ) for the month of June. As always, you can find out more about the contest at its wiki page (http://goo.gl/in453X ) or in its forum (http://goo.gl/yCwtI5 ). Round 8 is now open, so be sure to drop by and submit your nominations! ** June Fleetwide OOC Voice Chat ** A very special voice chat in time for the 20th anniversary of SB118, with the theme “Your favorite personal story of things that have happened (funny or otherwise) during your time at SB118” has been planned this Sunday, June 8th at 10am Pacific / 1pm Eastern (US) / 6pm BST (UK) / 3am Monday UTC+11 (AUS). Always check your timezone for accuracy/DST if applicable! To participate simply follow the instructions here: http://goo.gl/u2iLJV If you have issues connecting we will also be available on the online chat room, at http://goo.gl/1jdyJ7 to assist you. Our fleetwide chats are a space for all the members of the StarBase 118 group to get together and talk in real time about everything that’s happening within the group. Come by and see what goings-on are happening off your ship. Chats are always held on the second Sunday of every month, but you can head into the chat room or the Mumble server at any time to see who else is there. ** Top Sims Contest Round 16 Is Now Open! ** The Top Sims Contest is now accepting nominations for Round 16. There are some great sims being produced by our members every day. Making sure they get the recognition they deserve is easy, and only takes a minute. Simply head to the Top Sims Contest (http://goo.gl/TOACIf ) forum and start a new topic. Paste the sim’s title into the subject line, the body of the sim into the body of the message, and set the sim as “Round 16? in the drop-down box directly above the body box. It’s just that easy to share a great sim with the entire fleet! The winning sim will go on to the next run-off round to determine the best sim of the year. ** Lower Decks: Lieutenant Brayden Jorey ** :: A deep pulse of bass music opens up with a graphic of turbolift flashes over the screen before the screen lights raise up to focus in on Vulcan man seated in a chair with a pair of ceramic coffee mugs on a small table between his chair and the as of yet off screen occupied one. :: Sopek: Hello and Greetings. My name is Sopek and it is time once more for an installment of The Lower Decks. Where we leave behind the center chair and big office and go down below to speak with the crew of the vessels and bases in Starfleet. ::He shifts slightly to meet the changing camera and waves a hand to the other chair.:: Tonight’s guest is Lieutenant Brayden Jorey. He is the Chief Tactical Officer and Chief of Security on the USS Tiger-A. Good Evening Lieutenant. Jorey: Such a pleasure to speak with you, Mr. Sopek. ::Jorey spoke slowly and offered a warm smile.:: Sopek: I understand you have just recently been promoted to full Lieutenant. It must be exciting, yes? Jorey: It’s always a blessing to be recognized by your superiors. ::He said nodding his head slightly. The hint of a devious smirk flickered in his eyes.:: The only one more pleased than I would be my grandmother. Sopek: You’re also the Commander of the Air Group on the Tiger. What can you tell us about that position? Jorey: I can tell you that I have a lot of help. ::He said honestly.:: On the Tiger, the Independence Flight is made up entirely of Starfleet officers who volunteer during their off-duty time. They are a passionate, fearless, and incredibly dedicated group of people. It’s definitely a different model than having a dedicated marine unit, but one that I and the Tiger are going to make sure succeeds. ::Jorey smiled confidently and waited patiently for Sopek to speak up.:: Sopek: So your grandmother takes an interest in your career? Jorey: Ha! ::Jorey always found humour in the Vulcan tendency to understate the obvious.:: I’m a Betazoid son of the noble House of Perseverance and Guardian of the Sacred Eyes of Kylaron. ::He leaned in and pretended as though he was telling a secret just between the two of them.:: Betazoid children understand that they are only the main character in their story, but most of the time, their family get’s to be the writer, director, and producer. Sopek: Most interesting. And beyond leading the informal marine unit, what do you like to do to unwind? Jorey: I enjoy many things. Meditation, training, martial arts, fashion, pampering myself… ::Jorey sat further back into his chair as he thought deeper.:: Most off all, I enjoy improving myself and my environment. I like to make sure that everyone feels comfortable, included, and essential. It’s the most important thing. ::Jorey leaned forward, his eyes signally revery.:: A very famous Betazoid woman once said, “The great secret is not the variety of life, it’s the variety of us.” ::Jorey sat back up, smiled and straighten his back.:: The best way for me to unwind is by enjoying such variety on the Tiger. Sopek: A most profound motto to live by. Do you find yourself looking toward the center chair someday as a way to further the variety in your life? Jorey: I think Fleet Captain Riley fills the chair nicely. ::Jorey said playfully.:: Besides, I’ve just been made responsible for three departments, my hands are full. But someday, I would love to be captain. It’s been that way since I was a little boy. ::Jorey became visibly amused by the memories.:: When we were kids, I always played the captain and forced my older brother to be my number one. Sopek: Has your variety led you to find anyone special to share your search with? Jorey: There have been some. ::Jorey leaned in toward to the host to offer a better look at the devious, yet inviting grin on his face.:: Are you available? ::Jorey paused for only a moment, before leaning back into his chair in lighthearted laughter.:: You Vulcan’s are so adorable. In truth, I’m more focused on my career as of late. However, I’m not one to ignore my own desires and turn away passion if it presents itself. ::Jorey let the comment stand undefined, left unknown if it was a general statement or more specifically directed to Sopek. He smiled sweetly, seemingly innocent.:: Sopek: ::Seemingly unfazed he continued his questions.:: You also have a brother in Starfleet. Is there any competition between siblings? Jorey: Dylan is in medicine. I think for him it’s always been about healing and helping people. ::Jorey took a moment to choose his words carefully.:: I have an ambitious warrior’s spirit. My inspiration may be less altruistic but it still pushes me to do good, to do better. We were never that competitive with each other growing up… ::Jorey smirked with a raised eyebrow.:: but, I have to admit I’m looking forward to having my big brother call me Lieutenant. Sopek: A joy most siblings would enjoy I’m sure. What prompted your change from Helm to Tactical and Security? Jorey: I was a tactical major at the academy, minors in helm and intelligence. ::Jorey’s eyes widened slightly and his back straightened.::I am a Tassa’Akai mystic, have been training since I was a child. The gods have blessed me with a warrior’s spirit to protect peace, joy and love from the darkness. ::Jorey relaxed and sunk back into his chair.:: I think the new position is a much better fit for my talents and am really excited and grateful Fleet Captain Riley has afforded me the opportunity. Sopek: Hopefully you will blossom into your new position. Can you tell us about being a Tassa’Akai mystic? Jorey: Surely. ::He said with a certain whisper of joyous breath.:: My training was always a family affair. It began when I was very young, my grandfather started me on the path. My mother was also a great teacher while we were away from Betazed on Federation ships. After my grandfather’s passing at the Battle of Betazed, my grandmother continued to guide me. ::It was clear on Jorey’s face that he was becoming nostalgic.:: It was always something that kept me close to my grandfather. When I was 20, I completed the trials on Betazed with the masters and was granted mystic status. Someday, I will train others in the path and when one of them completes the trials I will be regarded as a master. Sopek: Truly interesting. Do you hope to continue with the family tradition then? Jorey: Is there a choice? ::He said quickly through laughter.:: Two things: First, tradition and family are synonymous in Betazoid culture. Second, once you have dedicated yourself to the path there is no going back or continuing. There are pre-established trails to follow or perhaps you make your own. But either way, with one’s death is at the end of the path, you have no choice but to find your way there. Sopek: Can you tell us a little about some of the more memorable missions you have been a part of? Jorey: Of course! ::Jorey gestured flamboyantly with his hands. He turned to face the camera with a raised eyebrow.:: Something for your more adventurous viewers? ::Jorey leaned back into his chair and focused on Sopek.:: Well the Tiger was on its way to New France to pick up some medical supplies for an emergency on Triceblessed, but along the way we encountered a gaseous entity. It’s started feeding itself on the ship’s power systems and began to try and please the crew by using the replicators and holoemiters to make the crew’s desires come to life. Eventually, I realized that the entity was sentient, however, it felt like an animal. ::Jorey motioned his hands about his head.:: It was all passions, aggressions, ego, and instinct. Sopek: Very interesting. What made you join Starfleet? Jorey: Well, Mr. Vulcan the truth is one of the reasons I dreamed of being in Starfleet was to make first contact with a new species. Unfortunately, it was like making first contact with a Targ. Although I know, Ensign Azin, who I believe is now on the Excalibur, would disagree with me and surely have a look of disdain ready for me. ::Jorey laughed at the thought.:: Oh, Ensign Azin. I would wish him luck on his new ship, but I think that perhaps it’s the Excalibur that will need luck with him. ::Jorey smiled and seemed nostalgic.:: He is already missed on the Tiger. Anyway, long story short – we upset the beast and it sent the Tiger crashing into the deep oceans of an O class planet. Hopefully, my next first contact will go a little better. Sopek: Can you share with us a phrase or motto that helps you through your day? A mantra that keeps you going when times are hard? Jorey: Hmmm… ::Jorey sat back in his chair deep in thought.:: Well, it’s more of a philosophy than a mantra, I suppose, but I simply follow what the gods have always taught us. ::He leaned back in.:: Find passion and love in everything. You will find peace and live a joyous and inspired life. ::He raised an eyebrow at Sopek.:: It’s not Logic, ::Jorey smiled.:: But it seems to work wonders for me. Sopek: Thank you for taking the time to speak with me today. You’ve been very insightful and I wish you the best of luck. Jorey: Of course, Mr. Sopek! ::He exclaimed in a gracious tone.:: Perhaps, you’ll have me back again when I surely make Captain. ::He winked at the man across from him and laughed softly as he leaned back into his chair.:: ————– Brayden Jorey graduated from the Academy and was assigned to the USS Tiger-A on stardate 238912.15 as a Helm Officer. Over his career on the Tiger he has been the CAG (Commander – Air Group) of the Independence Flight, the Chief of Secuirity, and the Chief Tactical Officer. With the decommissioning of the USS Tiger-A, he has recently been assigned to the USS Gemini as the Chief of Security. The author of Brayden Jorey hails from Toronto, Canada. He has a degree in Psychology & Sociology and a Master’s degree in Applied Social Research. He is a personal trainer, music teacher, and is a fitness, personal, and couples counsellor. He enjoys beach volleyball, strength training, Aikido, video games, ‘end of the world’ movies and crazy nights out on the town. ** An Island Among Men ** AKA: Why is no one interested in my character? One of the most common difficulties experienced among Starbase 118 members is the feeling that their character is alone, completely isolated from the rest of the crew. It happens to brand new members trying to find their way, returning members who discover that all their old friends are elsewhere, and to captains who turn around one day and realise that everyone they used to sim with have moved on. There’s often a feeling of isolation, and the sense that everyone is so busy with each other, that no one is interested in you. But what can we do about it? When it comes to roleplay in any medium, one of the most useful pieces of advice I have ever been given was this: “The best way to get people to be interested in your character is to be interested in theirs.” The best way to integrate into a crew is to be proactive, create opportunities, hunt down those character interactions and not to expect others to come to you. Thankfully, there’s a wealth of resources at hand to help. Our wiki is an amazing guide to the fleet – and more importantly, for our purposes – the characters within it. So if you’re ever stuck for who to interact with, spend a little time looking up the profiles of the characters on your ship. Perhaps you’ll find someone who’s shared old COs or postings, someone with the same hobby or interest, an interesting event in their history that your character might have been involved in… the list goes on. If you find something, get in touch with the player! Tag them directly in the sim, or email them OOC to discuss how your two characters could bounce off each other. The forums are another excellent place to look. Many ships have IC games running that highlight interesting or quirky facts about their characters, and there you may very well find something that sparks your imagination. If your ship doesn’t have any IC games running, why not start one, and let your crew know? It’s also worth thinking about appealing to your ship’s OOC list for help. It can be really helpful here to talk about what aspects of your character you’d like to explore, or suggest some hooks other people might find interesting. A few starting points can really inspire your crew as to how their characters could interact with yours. Last of all, don’t be afraid to get your captain and first officer involved! They can offer advice and suggestions on how to help your character bond with the rest of the crew, maybe signposting you to a particular player, or interacting with you with their own. If you’re exploring a new friendship with a fellow crew-mate, considering contacting your captain and explain that you’d really appreciate the chance to sim with them next mission. It’s not always possible, but they’ll certainly try. So remember: To be interesting, be interested! ----------------------------------- Jun 14, 2014Weekly Newsletter 2391.24
Happy weekend, fleetmates! FLEET EVENTS Top Sims Contest
Writing Challenge
Featured Bio Contest
Fleet Chat
Community Calendar
Poll of the Week
(newest at the top, oldest at the bottom) 2. Promotions for May 2014: http://goo.gl/41vD5A 3. “Do What Is Right, Not What Is Easy” Writing Challenge Nears Completion: http://goo.gl/l6w71M 4. May Plot Summary for the USS Atlantis: http://goo.gl/m8F6PC 5. Witty Wordsmith: Frequently Misused Words: http://goo.gl/sIFPWb 6. New Academy Graduate: http://goo.gl/SRIuTI 7. A Moment with Cascadia Rainier: http://goo.gl/whPtpU 8. May Plot Summary for the USS Darwin-A: http://goo.gl/2ARau6
** Poll of the Week: The Future Enterprise ** NASA is not giving up, it seems. News this week reveal that NASA is indeed working on faster than light engines. In fact, they have even come up with a ship design, and named it Enterprise (http://goo.gl/cIZ7I6 )! Pretty neat, huh? But just how close are we to this? With funding to NASA having been cut drastically, and the US having to rely on Russia to send their astronauts to the space station because the US no longer has transportation to space and back again now that all shuttles have been grounded. Is this just a media tactic or is there a real chance of this coming to fruition? If there is a chance of this becoming reality, do you think it will happen in our lifetimes? As always, we here at the Poll of the Week are anxious to hear your thoughts on the matter. So head on over to the polls and let us know of your opinion: http://goo.gl/uccEJE ** Promotions for May 2014 ** The staff of UFOP: StarBase 118 would like to take a moment and recognize the officers — please be sure to congratulate these folks when you see them in the corridors of your vessel! Atlantis • Rendal Rennyn to Lieutenant JG • Tamaiti Scott to Lieutenant JG • Tyler Kelly to Lieutenant • Montague Eickleberger to Lieutenant Duronis II Embassy • Tr’Khellian from Lieutenant to Lieutenant Commander Excalibur • Sal Taybrim to Lieutenant • Vitor Silveira to Lieutenant Commander (OOC) Garuda • Evan Delano to Lieutenant Vigilant • Lyanna Avery to Lieutenant JG ** “Do What Is Right, Not What Is Easy” Writing Challenge Nears Completion ** Have you dreamed of the sort of the glory only available to Klingon warriors? Well, dream no more: The current Writing Challenge is two weeks from its finish, so you have plenty of time to enter your brilliant story! This round’s topic, “Do what is right, not what is easy,” (http://goo.gl/H7gbE3 ) asks some potentially difficult questions about the Star Trek universe and invites you to interpret them in interesting ways through your fiction. Writes Travis, aka Tyler Kelly and the winner of the previous Challenge: I think it would be interesting to write about a time when you have to make a choice between the greater good and simply ‘going with the flow.’ Maybe a superior officer gives an order that you have a moral objection to. Maybe there are people dying of a curable disease on the planet below but the Prime Directive tells you that you can’t intervene. As Starfleet officers our characters face these kind of decisions from time to time and it can be a very interesting idea to explore. What do you think? Do any of these scenarios sound familiar to you as a writer or any of your characters? How can you take this idea and apply it beyond what you might expect? We look forward to finding out! Head over to the Writing Challenge forums (http://goo.gl/d8lLV9 ) for more, and make sure you enter before June 24th! ** May Plot Summary for the USS Atlantis ** Having successfully arrived on Uzoka 4, the Atlantis delivers the Grenushi Ambassador as promised and the peace talks commence. The same night of their arrival, Commander Blueheart announces shore leave and holds an awards ceremony in the Presidential Palace of the capital city of the Krayav Republic. Rendal Rennyn and Tamaiti Scott are promoted to Lieutenants, Junior Grade, while Tyler Kelly and Montague Eickleberger are promoted to full Lieutenants. Also during the ceremony, three new ensigns fresh out of the Academy report for duty. The crew take advantage of shore leave to enjoy the culture and sights of the capital city and Uzoka 4, in addition to getting to know each other more personally. New relationships are forged and old ones re-examined in new light. One example is Commander Blueheart getting to know his First Officer a little more closely – and finding out to his shock that the Angosian-Betazoid man has another sentient entity living inside him! Will this revelation affect the delicate symbiotic relationship between the two men? Follow this interesting twist in future installments of the new adventures of the Atlantis! ** Witty Wordsmith: Frequently Misused Words ** “Words ought to be a little wild for they are the assaults of thought on the unthinking.” ~John Maynard Keynes There are plenty of words out there which get used incorrectly on a daily basis. Sometimes the word has an archaic background or it just sounds similar to the correct word. Sometimes media misuses the word and it catches on for viewers and readers. This month we’re looking at another batch of frequently misused words to clear up the meaning and help polish your writing so it shines! alacrity – Often used to mean speedy, the actual definition is a bit more complicated. While speed plays a part, alacrity is defined as a cheerful willingness to do something, and a prompt attention to said task. From the Latin alacritas (eager/lively) this word has more to do with the emotional state of the described rather than the speed they work at fatuous – Has nothing to do with weight. Fatuous is related to the word ‘infatuated’ and refers to someone who is foolish, stupid or silly. ignominy – Has nothing to do with being anonymous, despite the similar sound. Ignominy signifies disgrace or dishonor. This is a form of the word ignoble – not noble or honorable poltroon – This is a fun little word that signifies a thoroughly cowardly person. rancor – Is not a vicious beast from Star Wars. It means vindictive malice, often directed at someone. And two words that look and sound almost the same, but mean very different things: veracity – Truthfulness, a dedication to accuracy and truth voracity – Greed, a consuming hunger Armed with new definitions and new words, try some of these out in your posts! And you are also allowed to snicker if you see them misused in popular media. ** New Academy Graduate ** Please welcome our newest Academy graduates to the UFOP: StarBase 118 fleet: Tarsii Asmara! http://goo.gl/qTHb5s ** A Moment with Cascadia Rainier ** After several years of service the player behind Fleet Captain Nicholotti has decided to change directions with a brand new character. Here are a few words she had to say on the subject. Eickleberger: Fleet Captain Nicholotti has been around for a long time, what prompted you to change characters? Rainier: There comes a time where a story simply plays itself out. To further perpetuate the story of Kalianna Nicholotti continually felt more and more false and she became far more difficult to play than I had imagined. Yet, she had been around for so long and had been a part of so much that she needed to go out with a bang. With events transpiring that would make the transition another epic part of the story we weave on the Excalibur, it seemed like fate was telling me it was time. And so it went. Eickleberger: What inspired you to make Cascadia? Rainier: I wanted to play something different, and what could be different from Kali than the opposite of the well loved, popular, leader who was made through blood and fire than a little known woman from a race that was decidedly unliked and untrusted with few connections to anyone or anything. My own love for the mountains of our world led to her name. Eickleberger: How does Cascadia differ from Kaliana? Rainier: How doesn’t she? To be honest, I know that some things will bleed through to the character from my own personality, as they may have with Kali, but I’m hoping that I can consciously play this character differently than Kali based on the simple fact that she comes from a vastly differing background. The same base isn’t present, so it’s safe to assume the final product will be different as well. Eickleberger: What does Cascadia share with you in terms of personality? Rainier: I don’t know yet. I am well aware that some players plan characters out, but I’ve always been one to let them lead the way. Kali did her own thing, and while that sounds kind of strange, there was simply something that stopped me from doing things with her that she wouldn’t do. When I forced her into actions that didn’t feel right the writing suffered. When I pretty much closed my eyes and let the scene play out in my head, she came to life in ways I couldn’t have envisioned. The hope is that Cass will do the same thing. Eickleberger: What can we expect to see from Cascadia in her command? Rainier: At this point, her ‘big chance’ so to speak, she refuses to fail. Because of the race she belongs to and how much the Federation council doesn’t trust her, she’s never been allowed a command beyond the stations and defense ships of the Sol System. Though brilliant scientifically, having worked on the slipstream drive and other advances, she does not have experience in command of large ships outside the central system of Starfleet. At this point, she’s very ‘by the book’ and learning compromise will be one of those things that comes in time. At least I hope so. ** May Plot Summary for the USS Darwin-A ** Arriving in orbit around the Water Planet Asav the crew of the USS Darwin NCC-99312-A quickly discovered the USS Valorous drifting lifelessly. Quickly assessing the damage as being severe Captain Reinard dispatched an away team to the defunct Valorous to investigate the damage and render any assistance they can. Meanwhile the remaining Darwin crew were contacted by the occupants of Biodome 2 who, when coupled with the information being received from the away team, were quickly identified as the culprits of the damage to the Valorous. As the away team successfully stabilised the Valorous, Captain Reinard received a communication from the occupants of Biodome 5, a faction clearly distancing themselves from the damage done to the Valorous. In an attempt to get more information away teams went below the water to meet with the opposing Biodome occupants. Lt Commander Thomas and his team soon became victims of an attack on the Biodome. Acting quickly he sent his pilots out to defend the Biodome and worked with his team of engineers to stabilise the dome. Before long, Supervisor Krum, imprisoned Thomas and his team and ordered them to work. Captain Reinard and his team medically assisted the religious leader Speaker Tsanchi. Through lengthy and often spiritual discussion they were able to bring him around to the point where he saw the Federation as allies. With things moving quickly, only time would tell if Captain Reinard could unite the purpose of both domes and free Lt Cmdr Thomas and his team. ----------------------------------- Jun 15, 201420 years of Star Trek simming
Friends, I founded our community in June of 1994 -- while the exact date has been lost to time, generally we celebrate the day on June 15th. That means we've just crossed the 20-year threshold of simming! That puts us among the oldest institutions on the web, and certainly makes us one of the longest-standing communities. When we started simming on AOL chat rooms, AOL didn't even have a Internet browser in its software, and the idea of the Internet was unknown to most people. "Online" meant a service you dialed into -- AOL, Prodigy, Compuserve -- using a good ol' fashioned phone line and modem. Your time on the service was billed in minutes! Simming, and the trappings of our community, have changed immensely since those first, formative years. We began without an official roster in chat rooms, where we simmed live. People simply showed up at the time we had set previously, and everyone picked a duty post they were comfortable with. The simming was more focused on the action of the plot than the characters, since things moved so quickly and it was difficult to add characterization into the sim. When we moved to an email format, there was no freely available email listserv service, so everyone's email address was added to the "To: " line of the email -- you can imagine how often that got messed up! Sims were shorter and more dialogue-focused, as you can see in the archive of the USS Freedom-A, commanded by Captain Jeff Pelletier: http://archive.starbase118.net/fleet/freedom/ The group you're a member of today was molded by some of the earliest players. Elinor of Kanist, one of the first members of the group, formed the Academy to train new members and relieve captains of the stressful duty of bringing cadets up to speed with how simming works, and also created the Reporter, the group newsletter that still influences how we talk to our membership. Shaun Marlin built our first website in the earliest days of the widely-available web, and laid the groundwork for the website structure that still exists today. Brian Kelly wrote our group constitution in 2000 -- at that time he had been a member for over five years. For a full accounting of our group's commanding officers, check out the Fleet Timeline: http://wiki.starbase118.net/wiki/index.php?title=UFOP_Fleet_Timeline Since those first days, we've been the parent group to other sims -- including some that now claim to be older than ours, seen thousands of simmers pass through our hallowed email lists, written hundreds of thousands of sims, launched and closed dozens of ships, watched two whole Star trek series from beginning to end and a half-dozen movies premier, and influenced the formation and flowering of an online Star Trek ecosystem from the Daystrom Institute Technical Library to Memory-Alpha. It's hard to imagine how we can honor this history. The countless hours of writing, creating, plotting, and administrating that have been a part of our shared collective were given freely and gladly, but nonetheless helped to make something enduring. Gene Roddenberry's vision was one of an inspirational future, where humans have something to be proud of. We are keeping that vision alive in every word we write, and when it comes to honoring traditions and the history of our community, I think that's a great place to start. So here's to another 20 years of simming. I look forward to the adventure.
Jun 15, 201420 years of Star Trek simming
I founded our community in June of 1994 -- while the exact date has been lost to time, generally we celebrate the day on June 15th. That means we've just crossed the 20-year threshold of simming! That puts us among the oldest institutions on the web, and certainly makes us one of the longest-standing communities. When we started simming on AOL chat rooms, AOL didn't even have a Internet browser in its software, and the idea of the Internet was unknown to most people. "Online" meant a service you dialed into -- AOL, Prodigy, Compuserve -- using a good ol' fashioned phone line and modem. Your time on the service was billed in minutes! Simming, and the trappings of our community, have changed immensely since those first, formative years. We began without an official roster in chat rooms, where we simmed live. People simply showed up at the time we had set previously, and everyone picked a duty post they were comfortable with. The simming was more focused on the action of the plot than the characters, since things moved so quickly and it was difficult to add characterization into the sim. When we moved to an email format, there was no freely available email listserv service, so everyone's email address was added to the "To: " line of the email -- you can imagine how often that got messed up! Sims were shorter and more dialogue-focused, as you can see in the archive of the USS Freedom-A, commanded by Captain Jeff Pelletier: Ships Log: USS FREEDOM-A The group you're a member of today was molded by some of the earliest players. Elinor of Kanist, one of the first members of the group, formed the Academy to train new members and relieve captains of the stressful duty of bringing cadets up to speed with how simming works, and also created the Reporter, the group newsletter that still influences how we talk to our membership. Shaun Marlin built our first website in the earliest days of the widely-available web, and laid the groundwork for the website structure that still exists today. Brian Kelly wrote our group constitution in 2000 -- at that time he had been a member for over five years. For a full accounting of our group's commanding officers, check out the Fleet Timeline: UFOP Fleet Timeline - 118Wiki Since those first days, we've been the parent group to other sims -- including some that now claim to be older than ours, seen thousands of simmers pass through our hallowed email lists, written hundreds of thousands of sims, launched and closed dozens of ships, watched two whole Star trek series from beginning to end and a half-dozen movies premier, and influenced the formation and flowering of an online Star Trek ecosystem from the Daystrom Institute Technical Library to Memory-Alpha. It's hard to imagine how we can honor this history. The countless hours of writing, creating, plotting, and administrating that have been a part of our shared collective were given freely and gladly, but nonetheless helped to make something enduring. Gene Roddenberry's vision was one of an inspirational future, where humans have something to be proud of. We are keeping that vision alive in every word we write, and when it comes to honoring traditions and the history of our community, I think that's a great place to start. So here's to another 20 years of simming. I look forward to the adventure. Join the discussion about our 20th anniversary on the forums: 20 years of Star Trek simming with UFOP: StarBase 118 - General Discussion Jun 21, 2014Weekly Newsletter 2391.25
Happy weekend, fleetmates! FLEET EVENTS Writing Challenge
Top Sims Contest
Featured Bio Contest
Fleet Chat
Community Calendar
Poll of the Week
(newest at the top, oldest at the bottom) 2. Emergency Rations: Party Down: http://goo.gl/OFwFkz 3. May Plot Summary For The USS Garuda: http://goo.gl/qZHEQ8 4. New Academy Graduate: http://goo.gl/Ay2Wzt 5. Lower Decks: Lieutenant Chythar Skyfire: http://goo.gl/9zN6zM 6. May 2014 Post Totals: http://goo.gl/aaMYUx 7. 20 Years Of Star Trek Simming: http://goo.gl/MB9RyK 8. Top Sims Runoff Round 2 – Vote Now! http://goo.gl/43ylhK 9. May Plot Summary For The USS Excalibur: http://goo.gl/Djc4dB
** Poll of the Week: Leave Me Alone! ** A friend of mine is actively looking for a new roommate and she asked if I would consider. For the last year or so, I have lived on my own and enjoyed it immensely. I answer to no one. I come and go as I wish and even though I am a clean person, should I leave a bit of a mess behind before heading out the door, I don’t feel bad that someone else may stumble upon my mess. However, I do sometimes feel lonely when I don’t want to go out and I also miss the presence of another soul with me where I live. So I’m kind of in a dilemma. Should I or should I not take my friend up on her offer? I guess I will decide soon enough. Nevertheless, that brings us to this week’s Poll of the week. What species in Star Trek would make the worst roommate? Would it be an Andorian who always keeps the room bitter cold? A Bajoran who prays to the prophets all the time? A Betazoid who can read your dirty thoughts and dreams at night? How about a Cardassian who keeps the temperature at the highest levels in your quarters or a Ferengi who only discusses profit with you as you chit chat? What about a Klingon who smells not quite fresh, or a joined Trill who speaks of memories of a time long before your grandparents were alive? How about a Vulcan who would not understand your emotions should you have a particularly difficult day? So who would you deem to be the worst roommate? Head on down to the polls and let us know what species would be the one to make you wish you lived alone! http://goo.gl/RZJPlE ** Emergency Rations: Party Down ** Welcome to Emergency Rations, where each month we highlight details from the worlds of Star Trek and UFOP: SB118 to fuel your fandom, inspire your writing, and help bring your sim to life. This month’s theme is Anniversaries. UFOP: SB118 is celebrating 20 years of simming excellence, and this column is a stunning two months old! In honor of these achievements, we’re looking at the milestones your character might celebrate in their 24th century life. You have caught up on your reading; you have scrolled through all the forums; you have read the entire wiki again. Maybe you’re celebrating your 20th post this week, and need the inspiration for just one more. A toast to your creativity! It’s time to break out the Emergency Rations… Everyone celebrates a birthday in character – like an office party in real life, you somehow can’t avoid it. Below are three types of social occasions that might inspire further festivities. As you chew your way through your rations, think about how you can incorporate these items and ideas into your sim. When you’ve succeeded, tell us about it on the forum: http://goo.gl/T4BPbj . We’d love to hear how you’ve put your creativity to use! Annual Parties. If it’s annual, it counts! If you work on the Embassy, you know which holidays to celebrate: http://goo.gl/IgQ1ap . Anything similar on other ships? How about back home? What holidays and festivals (http://goo.gl/v2jhnA ) are important where you come from (http://goo.gl/SkLKtJ )? Speaking of annual events that bring us together: anyone watching the game (http://goo.gl/wNTYwA )? What is the World Cup of the 24th century? What is the Super Bowl? Will you watch it with friends? And what IS the Starfleet equivalent of an office party (http://goo.gl/p0SMvs )? Great Moments in History. Treaties, battles and first contacts make for a thrilling history, and the events of history are part of our everyday lives. During its 20 years of interactive storytelling (http://goo.gl/tx2Ns7 ), UFOP: SB118 has covered a vast area of time as well as space. How well do you know the events of recent UFOP history (http://goo.gl/IZmY7u )? Does your character remember the past with a special commemoration event back home? How about at the Academy? Or on your current ship? How do you memorialize the past? Any famous forbears? Toured any famous sites? Commemorations. The stunning accomplishments of history’s greatest figures fill our invented past (http://goo.gl/WoYQpN ). Which do you celebrate most? In 2391, it has been 230 years since the formation of the United Federation of Planets (http://goo.gl/NwyQkL ). 98 years since the Khitomer Accords ) http://goo.gl/piY6ej ) were signed. 28 years since the first confirmed contact with the Borg (http://goo.gl/O4Bjni ). 15 years since the Pathfinder Project contacted USS Voyager. A short 4 years since the SB118 Fleet fought the Vaadwaur Invasion (http://goo.gl/MXsFZs ). What great moments do you remember? It’s the 5 minute anniversary of when you started reading this column. I salute you! Please visit the forum (http://goo.gl/T4BPbj) to let us know how you used these ideas in your writing. Happy simming! ** May Plot Summary For The USS Garuda ** The crew of the USS Garuda found themselves between a rock and a hard place during their mission to the Zeta Equulei system where the Community and the Myr Luuks were hostile neighbours. Cmdr. Ross’s away team visited the home moon of the Community and discovered a complex base in the course of their discussions that was probably left from an older race, as the Community didn’t possess the technology necessary to construct the structure. As part of the negotiations, Lts. Delano and Mei’konda and Ambassador Ventu willingly underwent a mind merge with the Confluence (the Community’s hive brain) where they discovered a link between with the even more ancient and mysterious Menthar race that once inhabited this region of space: The Menthar had uplifted the pre-warp Community to be an aggressive race that could fight on their behalf. After the disappearance of the Menthar, the Community continued along this developmental path. Meanwhile, the Garuda’s saucer section under Lt. Cmdr. Calderan was hosting a delegation of Myr Luuks. However, a renegade on board had plans to scupper the meeting. They murdered an ensign to gain control of a shuttlecraft, and launched it on a collision course with the alien escort vessels, destroying one upon impact. This brought the Myr Luuks and the Community to the brink of war. To remove themselves from making the situation any worse, Captain Egan Manno decided to reunite the saucer and stardrive sections and withdraw the USS Garuda from the Zeta Equulei system. However, it must be noted that the Myr Luuks – unsatisfied with the Federations overtures, began negotiations with the Cardassians soon after. Before the Garuda arrived back at DSX, Commanders Rahman and Core discovered that a nest of DSX’s rogue spider-drones had been making a new home in the Garuda’s plasma conduits. The nest was excised quickly and the crew began shore leave on DSX, though there remained several loose ends to tie up…. ** New Academy Graduate ** Please welcome our newest Academy graduate to the UFOP: StarBase 118 fleet: Nyals! http://goo.gl/nKp8sh ** Lower Decks: Lieutenant Chythar Skyfire ** ::A deep pulse of bass music opens up with a graphic of turbolift flashes over the screen before the screen lights raise up to focus in on Vulcan man seated in a chair with a pair of ceramic coffee mugs on a small table between his chair and the as of yet off screen occupied one. :: Sopek: Hello and Greetings. My name is Sopek and it is time once more for an installment of The Lower Decks. Where we leave behind the center chair and big office and go down below to speak with the crew of the vessels and bases in Starfleet. ::He shifts slightly to meet the changing camera and waves a hand to the other chair.:: Tonight’s guest is Lieutenant, junior grade, Chythar Skyfire. Currently he is a Medical Officer on the USS Excalibur-A. Welcome Lieutenant. ::The lieutenant stepped forward onto the screen and smiled toward the camera before heading to the unoccupied chair. As he sat down, he smiled softly. :: Skyfire: A pleasure to meet you at last, Mr. Sopek. I’ve been a follower of The Lower Decks since my graduation from the academy last year. I believe you mentioned Argurtha in your message to me. Was it my work there that you wished to ask about? Sopek: Of course if that is what you would like to start there. Please start by telling a little about the mission to our viewers. Skyfire: The mission was to render aid during a crisis that I referred to as the Argurthian Plague. Argurtha was one of three planets along the Romulan/Thracian border. We were given the Excalibur-A as our ship, a lot of us were reassigned from Starbase 118. The plague had already claimed over a thousand lives by the time we got to the planet, and it was the first of three in which the outbreak was recorded. I was one of the doctors on the first response team. Sopek: And what happened there when you arrived? Skyfire: We were quickly ushered to the makeshift medical facility where the research was to take place. Doctor MacLaren was actually the lead of the relief effort, with myself, Crewman Banks, Doctor Folds, and Doctor Baker as her assistants. We were looking into x-rays and tissue samples to examine correlations. I at first thought it was similar to an epidemic on Earth in the 21st century, and that theory was quickly disproved. Doctor Folds and at the time Ensign Cuthbert went down to the morgue to investigate one of the people carrying the plague. Sopek: What avenue did you take in your research of the plague? ::CD blinked for a few seconds and attempted to recall the details. His encounter with the bomb may have distorted a few facts in his mind, but he tried to piece it together for the camera. :: Skyfire: I spent most of my time analyzing blood samples, and attempting to distinguish antibodies. It wasn’t until I discovered that Lieutenant Luna Walker was a carrier of two different strains that it began to make sense. She was a carrier, but it wasn’t spreading. Due to her unique Romulan and human physiology, the human side was providing the necessary antibodies at a rate sufficient to stave it off. :: Skyfire’s words broke abruptly, trying to recall the rest of it. He blinked again and took another breath before continuing. :: The abundance of vitamins D and C were present in the blood sample I took from Lieutenant Walker, and my prior scans of the Romulans I treated had those vitamins as well at a 10 percent decrease from that of a human. I made sure to account for that in the information that followed. SOPEK: Fascinating, so with that information it must have been easy to get to the solution of the problem then? :: With a nod, he gave a faint grin. :: SKYFIRE: It wasn’t easy. A bomber came through and disrupted the research. I wound up temporarily deaf and with a minor concussion, the rest of the medical team were worse off. Except for Dr. Folds, who beamed back aboard the ship with our wounded colleague Cuthbert before the bomb went off. SOPEK: What happened then? With so many injuries and your own capacity diminished, was it hard to work? :: The medical officer had a sip of his coffee, thinking for just a second before making a reply. :: Skyfire: It was difficult, yes. My mind hyperfocused on healing the crew members around me, and it took several minutes for Captain Nicholotti’s words to actually register in my mind. She told me to get back to work on the plague antiserum. Lip-reading served me well, as it’s a passive skill I learned when I blared music growing up. Sopek: I see. Fascinating, so once it was prepared how did you distribute it in a timely manner? Skyfire: Ensign Folds was called in to the office to confer with me and Lt. Commander Brek. Once it happened that we were done talking, he ordered Nurse Briskow to begin the synthesization. During that time, I was typing up my report as I was ordered. I helped Briskow and typed up my report at the same time. SOPEK: Did you expect to reap your rewards for such a job well done? SKYFIRE: No, I wasn’t expecting anything from it. Just a commendation that I did good work. I included in the addendum I wasn’t after awards or promotions, that I didn’t want the position of CMO. The half pip caught me completely by surprise. The campaign ribbon I was expecting. The rest, I was blown away. SOPEK: A reward for a job well done. :: He nodded and gave a grin. :: Skyfire: Indeed. Something I will continue to aim for: performing my job well. Sopek: Can you ever see yourself moving into more of a command role? Skyfire: If I surpass Chief Medical Officer, then yes. Otherwise, not in the immediate future. Sopek: I wonder if you could clue us in a bit about what has been happening on your ship since then? Skyfire: I could try…gained some new crew members, had a promotion from Lieutenant JG to Lieutenant in the form of science officer Sal Taybrim, the return of our former chief engineer from the Atlantis, the court-martialing of Lieutenant Vitor Silviera, and the wake of Fleet Captain Kali Nicholotti. Sopek: Yes I understand the Excalibur is under a new command, how is your new commanding officer working out for you. :: Skyfire’s eyebrows raised slightly, as though this was news to him. Instead, he chose a simple response that clearly conveyed his surprise. :: Skyfire: We have a new CO? Sopek: I would like to thank you for taking the time to speak with us today. May you have many more adventures in the stars. Skyfire: Not a problem, Sopek. Maybe we may speak again after my next breakthrough. Kat joined SB118 in February of 2389. Originally born and raised in the Silicon Valley, and has recently taken up residence in Mukilteo Washington. She’s a student of business management, web design, and English Literature, in possession of an Associate of Arts degree from De Anza College that she achieved in 2008 and makes chainmail armor in her spare time. ** May 2014 Post Totals ** As part of the ongoing overview of the fleet as a whole, here are the monthly figures for total posts for each ship. This summary will give you an idea of how active the ship is on a month-by-month basis. While simming in general has decreased slightly, the fleet remains active as we head into the summer. As many people head into end-of-school-year activities and the first weeks of summer vacation, simming averages continue to remain steady. Though down slightly from the month before, sim averages place each ship at simming only 16 less than in April. Our next chart gives the number of sims for each ship over the course of March. The effects of short LOAs and busier than normal lives is readily seen in this month’s post totals, as all but one ship simmed fewer sims this month than last. For some, this was a dramatic drop as the USS Vigilant crew said their goodbyes and prepared to move over to their new assignments on the Embassy and the Victory. As things settle, and the summer continues, the promise of more sims and some new amazing stories is sure to offer everyone something to remember. ** 20 Years Of Star Trek Simming ** Join the discussion about our 20th anniversary on the forums: http://goo.gl/rpjoMP I founded our community in June of 1994 — while the exact date has been lost to time, generally we celebrate the day on June 15th. That means we’ve just crossed the 20-year threshold of simming! That puts us among the oldest institutions on the web, and certainly makes us one of the longest-standing communities. When we started simming on AOL chat rooms, AOL didn’t even have a Internet browser in its software, and the idea of the Internet was unknown to most people. “Online” meant a service you dialed into — AOL, Prodigy, Compuserve — using a good ol’ fashioned phone line and modem. Your time on the service was billed in minutes! Simming, and the trappings of our community, have changed immensely since those first, formative years. We began without an official roster in chat rooms, where we simmed live. People simply showed up at the time we had set previously, and everyone picked a duty post they were comfortable with. The simming was more focused on the action of the plot than the characters, since things moved so quickly and it was difficult to add characterization into the sim. When we moved to an email format, there was no freely available email listserv service, so everyone’s email address was added to the “To: ” line of the email — you can imagine how often that got messed up! Sims were shorter and more dialogue-focused, as you can see in the archive of the USS Freedom-A, commanded by Captain Jeff Pelletier: http://goo.gl/ibHm9Y The group you’re a member of today was molded by some of the earliest players. Elinor of Kanist, one of the first members of the group, formed the Academy to train new members and relieve captains of the stressful duty of bringing cadets up to speed with how simming works, and also created the Reporter, the group newsletter that still influences how we talk to our membership. Shaun Marlin built our first website in the earliest days of the widely-available web, and laid the groundwork for the website structure that still exists today. Brian Kelly wrote our group constitution in 2000 — at that time he had been a member for over five years. For a full accounting of our group’s commanding officers, check out the Fleet Timeline: http://goo.gl/r0rdRk Since those first days, we’ve been the parent group to other sims — including some that now claim to be older than ours, seen thousands of simmers pass through our hallowed email lists, written hundreds of thousands of sims, launched and closed dozens of ships, watched two whole Star trek series from beginning to end and a half-dozen movies premier, and influenced the formation and flowering of an online Star Trek ecosystem from the Daystrom Institute Technical Library to Memory-Alpha. It’s hard to imagine how we can honor this history. The countless hours of writing, creating, plotting, and administrating that have been a part of our shared collective were given freely and gladly, but nonetheless helped to make something enduring. Gene Roddenberry’s vision was one of an inspirational future, where humans have something to be proud of. We are keeping that vision alive in every word we write, and when it comes to honoring traditions and the history of our community, I think that’s a great place to start. So here’s to another 20 years of simming. I look forward to the adventure. ** Top Sims Runoff Round 2 – Vote Now! ** The Top Sims Contest second round run-off is now open for voting. The winning sims from rounds 6 – 12, as selected by our panel of judges, are posted and ready to be voted on by our community. Your votes will determine which sim will go on to the final run-off round to determine the best sim of the year. So head over to the Top Sims Contest (http://goo.gl/p6Ds87 ) page and make you voice heard. Polling closes at 11:59pm on Sunday, June 29th, so don’t delay! And while you’re there, be sure to congratulate the each round’s winner: • Round 7: Aron Kells & Arden Cain: “The Seeker“ http://goo.gl/5DC048 • Round 8: Liam Frost & Hsina Amman, “Qualifications“ http://goo.gl/8XlYg4 • Round 9: Tyr Waltas, “Here we go again“ http://goo.gl/K0u5Ec • Round 10: Raj Blueheart, “Dreams Made Of Memories (Part 2)“ http://goo.gl/4PeLhi • Round 11: Nienne Kenoi, “A Moment Described“ http://goo.gl/9GBlSb • Round 12: Kalianna Nicholotti, “Legacies“ http://goo.gl/KBIPMi • Round 13: Eileen McCleran, “When the unknown gets impatient“ http://goo.gl/kMUsgT Finally, don’t forget to nominate some of the great sims that our community is constantly producing. Round 15 is now open for submissions, and the people you think are writing great sims can’t get the recognition they deserve unless you nominate them. The best sim of the year may be here, or it may have yet to be written, the choice is yours. ** May Plot Summary For The USS Excalibur ** Following Fleet Captain Kalianna Nicholotti’s disappearance, a memorial service was held in her honor by the crew of USS Excalibur NCC 41903-A. Commander Liam Frost also attended the service. Following the memorial, an award ceremony was conducted. Engineering continued repairs, now assisted by crews from Erscyne Station. In a change of heart by the Trade Alliance, the station was opened to Excalibur’s crew as a place to seek relaxation and rest. High Chief Merchant Kzahtayapa developed a strong interest in the Transporter technology aboard the ship despite her earlier fear of how they would affect the balance of trade. Some members of the crew visited the station and were surprised by the inhabitants’ sense of indebtedness to Nicholotti’s sacrifice and that of the entire crew. Taken as a sign that longer-term relations could eventually be established, this was a far leap from the original isolationist attitudes they presented. StarFleet Command has indicated that a Court Martial will be held for Lieutenant Vitor Silveira as a result of his disobedience of a direct order from Fleet Captain Nicholotti. The court, consisting of Rear Admiral Andrus Jaxx, Fleet Captain Cascadia Rainier, and Frost, convened shortly after their arrival. The court was swiftly called to session, with Lt. Commander Katy Orman prosecuting and Lt. Commander Brek defending the accused. ----------------------------------- Jun 28, 2014Weekly Newsletter 2391.26
Happy weekend, fleetmates! FLEET EVENTS Top Sims Contest
Featured Bio Contest
Fleet Chat
Writing Challenge
Community Calendar
Poll of the Week
(newest at the top, oldest at the bottom) 2. Last Day To Nominate For The 2013 Simming Prize: http://goo.gl/eXAI4R 3. May Plot Summary for the USS Apollo: http://goo.gl/hNVRjv 4. Current Writing Challenge Over, Late Summer Coming Soon: http://goo.gl/WaVBOl 5. SDC Species Spotlight: ZIBALIAN: http://goo.gl/qXVPcE 6. Top Sims Contest Update: http://goo.gl/ucuJRe 7. Nugra Takes The Center Chair: http://goo.gl/i95YCj 8. Featured Bio Contest Reminder: http://goo.gl/NUxDt3 9. May Plot Summary for the Duronis II Embassy and USS Thunder-A: http://goo.gl/yzgT8T
** Poll of the Week: Pick A Color.. ** A running gag, and not just those of us who are Star Trek fans, but that of those also who are Star Trek observers for entertainment sake, is that of the dangers of wearing a red shirt in the Star Trek universe from the old series. To break it down, there were 59 deaths of crewmembers during the 79 episodes of the original series. 16 of these deaths were off-screen, so the color of their shirts were unknown. So that leaves us with a visible 43 on-screen deaths that we witnessed. Of those 43 on-screen deaths, 25 wore red shirts. Therefore that leaves us with 18 crew members who were fated to death who wore uniforms of colors either blue or gold. So that brings us to this week’s poll of the week. If you were a Starfleet officer of that era, what do you think would be the safest color to wear? Would you rather wear command gold or science blue to save your skin on an away mission? Head on down to the polls (http://goo.gl/uu88R7) and let us know what you think and I will have the answer for you next week. ** Last Day To Nominate For The 2013 Simming Prize ** Since 1999, the Simming Prizeward has been presented to sims on the internet for their quality and fun factor. It is that time of year and the 2013 Simming Award has been opened. Up to five Prizes are awarded annually to people, sims, clubs, or organizations who (1) exemplify service, quality, and dedication within the simming community, or who (2) pioneer new technology or techniques within the community. It can be awarded for a specific accomplishment or for sustained superior performance over a period of time. Winners may use the honorific Simming Prize Laureate. Oh yeah, its official name is the The Prize for Simming and Online Role Playing in Memory of Seth Cotis. We just call it the Simming Prize because it’s easier to say. Today is the last day to submit a nomination, so head over to the nomination form now: http://goo.gl/1dCjk6 ** May Plot Summary for the USS Apollo ** The crew of the USS Apollo, NCC-71669 was rescued and delivered to Deep Space 5. Fleet Captain Andrus Jaxx received orders sending him to Earth for a debriefing. Orders for Lieutenant Commander Sundassa Faranster were to take the remaining crew to the USS Aegis, NCC-74323 on a survey mission with Lieutenant Commander Jalana Laxyn as her First Officer. Because of the haste in leaving, some of the officers had a problem with this, so Lieutenant Alexander Williams, and Lieutenant JG Eileen McCleran requested opportunities to speak with the Captain in private, questioning decisions. After handling those conversations, Faranster returned to the bridge to find that the Aegis received a distress call from an unknown ship, the transmission was vague, but left the crew very curious. The Aegis turned course to head for the distressed ship, all the team was at work trying to find out as much information about this unknown ship, and what happened to it. Before they reached the ship, something slowed down their computer systems, and it was discovered that this was the Artificial Intelligence of the alien vessel, by the name of Rapture, trying to assess the people coming to their rescue. ** Current Writing Challenge Over, Late Summer Coming Soon ** Surprisingly, it seems that the July/August Writing Challenges have been least likely to feature some sort of specially themed or holiday topic. While July and August have seen their share of unique Challenges — such as the First-Person Fortnight (http://goo.gl/ZSWqz6 ) and Flash Fiction (http://goo.gl/QMv0hN ) Challenges, both from 2012 — they’re much more likely to have a topic not based in anything related to the time of year. However, it’s possible that the very first July/August Challenge, all the way from back in 2004, took its cue from an event that will dominate those months for students and teachers among the writers of UFoP: going back to school! That 2004 Challenge, “Academy Memories,” (http://goo.gl/gPuvVk ) might have been chosen for that very reason. What do you think? As for the 2014 May/June Challenge, I hope you’ve entered your story already! No more entrants will be accepted and judges have convened to choose a winner for the Challenge. Keep your eye on the Writing Challenge forum (http://goo.gl/dq1LlR ), and good luck to everyone who entered! ** SDC Species Spotlight: ZIBALIAN ** “Profit is great but my collection is better than yours.” – Zibalian wisdom This species, like the Ferengi, are well known as traders and merchants, major players in both the Alpha and Beta quadrants of the Federation, and its surrounding regions. While they do have a reputation for specializing in the higher quality or more profitable merchandise, they will deal in just about anything if there is a profit in it. They are also well known for brokering some rather strange deals as well. While they seem to be mostly concerned with only profit a larger than expected number of them are also avid collectors or one thing or another. This unusual, some would say almost genetic quirk runs strong within the majority of them and as a result they can be rather unpredictable at times. Some of them will do just about anything in order to add another rare item to their personal collections. As a result this has been the ruin of a few great merchants. Learn more about the Zibalians from their wiki page: http://goo.gl/6TetBj ** Top Sims Contest Update ** The Top Sims Contest is now accepting nominations for Round 17. There are some great sims being produced by our members every day. Making sure they get the recognition they deserve is easy, and only takes a minute. Just check the calendar (http://goo.gl/xqCVBS ) to see which round we’re on, and start a new topic and paste the sim into the text field. It’s just that easy to share a great sim with the entire fleet! The winning sim will go on to the fourth run-off round. And there’s still time to vote on the winning sim for the Second run-off to determine which sim will go on to the final run-off to determine best sim of 2014. Vote now! http://goo.gl/TIVey4 ** Nugra Takes The Center Chair ** When I first joined UFOP:SB118 back in 2005, the fleet was a very different place. However, at least one thing connects that time and this: A Gorn character named Nugra was in play on the USS Victory. Back then, when I was only an ensign with my first PC, Nugra was a lieutenant commander and chief of security and tactical, and later the first officer. Now, he’s a commander and new to the Victory‘s center chair, so I was very interested to know more about Nugra, his writer, and their winding path to command. I remember well when you became a command officer, the Victory’s XO, many years ago. How do you think Starbase 118 has changed between now and then? How have you changed? What is very interesting is how much has changed, but yet has not changed. The first thing that struck me when I rejoined back in 2012 was that there was a lot more emphasis on writing than had been present back in the early days. Not only have many of the processes that were still new when I first took a LOA in 2006 are now tried and true, but many of the beginner writers are staff! One of the ways I changed is I’m “older and wiser”. After joining the U.S. Air Force, I “grew up” a lot and find that a lot of my original thoughts and ways were childish and it helped me form my moral code to the way I feel that I am a much more rounded person. I’ve assumed that you chose the Victory as your command practical ship because you’re respecting and carrying on the legacies of Captains Phoenix and Hurne and the other officers and writers who served there. Is that true? If it is, can you tell me a bit more about it and about some of your memories of those old officers and writers? You are correct. I did toss around the idea of creating my own ship, but when Starbase 118 was temporarily retired, I realized my old ship was now available. New ships are cool and a lot of fun, but there has to be something said about ships of old with long crew history and such amazing adventures. I could not allow the old girl to sit in mothballs! Being able to command the USS Victory brings a sense of accomplishment not only to Nugra, but also myself in OOC. I have a fond memories of the Victory in the early 2380s, the one that stands out to me is the battle against the Lycanthropes, an IC classified mission that brought us in contact with a subservient race of the Tholians AND the Tholians themselves. I remember it distinctly because it was my first chance to play a MSNPC and for some reason, the creativity and simming speed just skyrocketed. I don’t think the crew of the USS Victory ever fought something so hard and it brought out the core parts of everybody’s character! What are your plans for Nugra? What sort of CO will he be? Do you have any character arcs or developments planned for him? Nugra has always been a very “follow the rules” CO, with a tendency to think they don’t apply to him in certain cases when he feels his disobedience is for the better of the crew, even if he gets in trouble for it (and he does!). He will probably bring that with him and at first, the crew will probably see him as very strict. I hope to bring across the effects of his return to command since he lost his own ship in the Gorn Confederation in a conflict that spanned 200 years. Being trapped in a singularity for that long changed him. His fear of losing his crew and dedication to his duty will also force him to move forward from that horrible time. What about the Victory’s first mission — what can you tell me about that? Assuming that your practical is successful — as I’m sure it will be! — will you keep the Victory as your ship? What sorts of missions will you be most interested in running? I have always had a philosophy that as beautiful the universe is, there are horrors of equal magnitude; there are secrets that should never be found. The Embassy had gotten a first taste at something lurking in the darkest shadows and now the USS Victory is tasked to find this ancient menace before it finds us. I am wholeheartedly planning to keep the USS Victory even past the practical. I love the old girl and I now can not imagine not having Nugra on the bridge. I plan to run “exploration” missions and try to bring the “strange new worlds” to the USS Victory. It is what I love most about Star Trek, what strange thing will we find around the next star? To me, that is what Star Trek is, species VS environment and the search for knowledge. If you could write again with one person from the group’s history, who would that person be, and why? Oh, that’s a hard one. My first would be to say the old crew of the USS Victory. Mal Avatar, Stevok, Hurne, Parker, the whole lot, but if I had to chose one, it would be Captain Jordan Hurne. The man was my mentor both IC and OOC so when he retired, it did take a bit of the fun from the game. He fostered a creativity that I have always looked for and hope to bring to my own ship now that I her. You can learn more about the Victory and her new series of missions under Commander Nugra on the wiki! http://goo.gl/Sk6S26 ** Featured Bio Contest Reminder ** Please remember to nominate a character bio for the latest round of the Featured Bio Contest (http://goo.gl/DaLuMg ) before it closes on July 1, 2014. Just check these three simple points: • Nominated articles must be of a player character played by a CURRENT and ACTIVE member. • Nominated articles must be either a PRIMARY or SECONDARY player character. PNPCs are ineligible. • All information in the article must be CURRENT as of the submission date. We’re looking for the highest quality bios in the fleet to not only help provide an example for our members on how to structure their bio, but also to show off how much our members put into the creation of realistic and emotional characters. Head to the Featured Bio Contest forum (http://goo.gl/B5wylO ) to nominate a bio today. ** May Plot Summary for the Duronis II Embassy and USS Thunder-A ** Following the awards ceremony, the crew of Embassy settled in for a couple days on the beach, allowing newly transferred crew members from the decommissioned USS Tiger to settle in and get used to their surroundings. But all was not wine and roses, as soon, the crew was called into a briefing. It seemed that four ships had been lost in space, one of them being a Laudean freighter. A garbled distress call was all the evidence they had to go on, so the USS Thunder-A NCC 70605 headed to the coordinates of the missing ships and attempted to investigate the anomaly. Several probes were launched and lost, and fighters sent to investigate…until the anomaly began to grow and took two fighters to the other side….. Following them through the rift, the Thunder found herself orbiting a dead sun..or so they thought, as they established communication with whom had sent the earlier distress signal. They also found themselves thirty three years in the future, and the crew was no longer the spry bunch they had been. They also carried the memories of that thirty plus years, which revealed some painful revelations for several of the Thunder crew. Then weapons on the surface locked onto the Thunder, and opened up, the hits being taken by the armor and causing minor damage. With the fighters now on board, it was decided to send down an away team to get some answers. When the team arrived, they discovered what they had originally believed was a prison, but was also a massive graveyard of wrecked starships, the prison itself wrecked during the attacks on the Thunder. Survivors gathered with the away team as the ground began to tremble beneath them. A massive machine opened fire on the away team and the prison, endangering them all and forcing an emergency evacuation of the prisoners and away team members. Once everyone was on board, the damaged Thunder escaped the collapsing sun, and escaping through the rift back into their own time and space. ----------------------------------- Jul 5, 2014Weekly Newsletter 2391.27
Happy weekend, fleetmates! FLEET EVENTS Top Sims Contest
Fleet Chat
Featured Bio Contest
Writing Challenge
Community Calendar
Poll of the Week
(newest at the top, oldest at the bottom) 2. Poll of the Week: It’s A Conspiracy: http://goo.gl/yaBfp9 3. Top Sims Contest Update: http://goo.gl/XyKgS0 4. July Featured Bio Winner: http://goo.gl/H6jsqB 5. Forums Roundup: July 2014: http://goo.gl/iDWdbL 6. Nestlé Developing Working Replicator: http://goo.gl/BYm2Bd 7. Test Your Metal: http://goo.gl/cgLVrf 8. New Academy Graduates: http://goo.gl/KkujnO 9. May Plot Summary for the USS Gemini: http://goo.gl/mPjXfn 10. Congratulations Commander Ben Livingston: http://goo.gl/r1WSVO
** June Plot Summary for the USS Atlantis ** With shore leave over, the Atlantis makes her way back from Uzoka 4 to DS26. Shortly after departure, several crew members begin to fall severely ill. The pathogen causing the outbreak is a benign Krayav flu virus linked to a bioengineered toxin that leads to overwhelming hemorrhage in the stricken. When an ill engineer falls to his death and disrupts the warp coolant system, the Atlantis loses warp capabilities. It is then learned that everyone on board is actually infected with the virus! To make matters worse, studying the toxin led to the activation of a failsafe mechanism that both broadcasts the Atlantis’ coordinates to the mysterious creators of the toxin as well as takes most systems on board offline. With incoming unidentified vessels on an intercept course, the crew is forced to land and hide the ship on a nearby M-class asteroid. Unbeknownst to everyone, the triggered failsafe mechanism also activated two sleeper agents amongst the crew, one of whom, acting on the superconscious commands of an enigmatic and powerful entity, goes on a rampage to wrest control of the ship at all costs as soon as the ship lands. Will a cure arrive in time before more crew die, including the comatose commanding officer? Will the crippled Atlantis now be an even easier target for the unknown, unseen and approaching enemy? Tune in to find out what happens next on Atlantis’ most harrowing mission yet! ** Poll of the Week: It’s A Conspiracy ** A few weeks ago, a friend of mine brought up 9\11 and began to get into detail about some of the conspiracy theories that have arisen from that deadly day. Without getting into it, I am aware of many of these conspiracy theories that date back as early as Pearl Harbor, if not earlier, right up to the most recent missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370. Most of the conspiracy theories surround world changing events with ideas floating that they were somehow staged to allow those in powerful positions to get what they wanted out of it. World changing event are also portrayed in the Star Trek universe as well. With this in mind, I want you to put yourself into the position as just a regular person, going about your business on Earth, not involved in Starfleet or the upper echelons of power. Basically just a regular Joe or Jane doing your thing and then coming home and turning on the news to see what is happening in the Galaxy as Starships roam. Would you think there was some kind of conspiracy regarding the Genesis devise? The event at sector J25, in the Next Generation episode Q Who, having been probably sealed as classified until the events at sector 001 a year later? What about the probably classified event regarding the Gaurdian of Forever event from TOS? Or for that matter the buzz surrounding the sealing of the Talos system and general order 4 regarding this star system? How about Voyager being lost in the Delta quadrant for 7 years only to return through a Borg hub that was conveniently destroyed along with the evidence, now incorporating highly advanced weaponry and defences? How about the Bajoran wormhole? Never discovered in all the millennia it was there as the Bajorans, a highly advanced civilization until their occupation, never discovered even though it regularly spit out orbs. It took the work of a solo Starfleet Lieutenant, Jadzia Dax, to discover it even though Bajor was covered with scientists and engineers and were in space long before humans took to their own skies? They never discovered it? Or did they and kept it hidden to keep their population in religious servitude? As a regular Joe or Jane on Earth there would more than likely be a lot of questions regarding these and other events in the Star Trek universe, and I am certain there would be a large population not taking the “official story” at face value. So this week’s Poll of the Week encompasses the events above and asks you, which event, in the Star Trek universe, do you think would lead to the greatest conspiracy theories from those who were not involved? Head on down to the polls (http://goo.gl/5XwyaO) and let us know, and if you can, try to come up with a plausible conspiracy theory of your own regarding one of the highlighted events or another of your choosing. ** Top Sims Contest Update ** The Top Sims Contest is now accepting nominations for Round 18! There are some great sims being produced by our members every day. Making sure they get the recognition they deserve is easy, and only takes a minute. Visit the Top Sims Contest (http://goo.gl/v59SE9 ) page and start a new topic. Then paste the sim you want to recognize into the text field. It’s just that easy to share a great sim with the entire fleet. The winning sim will go on to the third run-off round. And while you’re out there, please take a moment to congratulate FltCapt. Rainier (nee FltCapt. Nicholotti), for her post “Legacies,” (http://goo.gl/D3ala6 ) which just won the second run-off round of the year. This sim now proceeds to the final run-off round of the year to face off against three other sims. Run-off round one winner was LtCmdr Jalana Laxyn, and the other two run-off sims will be chosen later this year. ** July Featured Bio Winner ** Rear Admrial Jaxx is a high ranking Betazoid officer of great renown having commanded the USS Victory, Starbase 118 Ops and the USS Apollo. A great many officers have served and thrived under his leadership but he started out just the same as any officer and first served as a counsellor aboard the USS Challenger in 2384. From there he worked through the ranks and did a spell as a strategic operation officer as he took his first steps into command as second officer aboard that ship. From there he was first officer aboard the USS Resolution before moving back into the role of strategic operations officer aboard the USS Eagle. In 2387 he was transferred to the USS Victory as first officer and would later become its commanding officer. Outside of work fitness is important and Jaxx loves to work out, he can often be found in the holodeck playing sports such as racquetball, fencing, skiing or sparring and is notably, one of few Betazoids who can use a Bat’leth. He is an avid swimmer and spends as much time in the water as is reasonably possible. He likes socializing with and getting to know his crew and will scrub in and help even the lowliest of crewmen, often much to their surprise! He is an excellent judge of character and is able to quickly assess new officers and decide whether he will like them or not. There are very few people on his bad side but thankfully they generally have the sense to keep out of his way. Congratulations to Rear Admiral Jaxx! His bio (http://goo.gl/SUxdOs) will be displayed on the wiki’s front page (http://goo.gl/uZhQ83 ) for the month of April. This month, our star pick bio belongs to Lieutenant Commander Nia Calderan (http://goo.gl/fk4i1S), so congratulations to her as well. As always, you can find out more about the contest at its wiki page (http://goo.gl/NUavEQ ) or in its forum (http://goo.gl/RVjblR ). The next is now open, so be sure to drop by and submit your nominations! ** Forums Roundup: July 2014 ** With the summer in full swing, you’re probably well into enjoying the sun (or at least a sunburn or two…). And that being the case, it’s certainly a good time, no matter what you’re doing this summer, to check out the forums and the many things going on there. Here’s just a sampling of the many events and conversations we’ve got happening around the Fleet’s forum boards. There are a number of player’s guilds here at Starbase 118. You can join one regardless of if your main character falls into the category defined by the guild or if you just want to join in on the conversation. Head over here to find out more: http://goo.gl/bwv18F The latest writing challenge entries will soon be posted here. Be sure to check out the winners from the last contest, as well as the feedback they’ve received from the judges, the topic for the newest round, and more on the Writing Challenge forums: http://goo.gl/qiAAeK Do you know of a great sim that deserves fleet-wide attention? Be sure to post it in the Top Sims contest threads so that everyone can see it! http://goo.gl/qFha4r Come meet your fellow members and welcome new members to the 118 Fleet in the Meet the Lemmings thread: http://goo.gl/OtWXJs And don’t forget to weigh in on the poll of the week. There’s a new one each week, so stop by and let your voice be heard. Have an idea for your own poll? There’s a submission thread as well – submit your ideas there and they may be the topic of next week’s conversation! http://goo.gl/0fIjJU Be sure to remember the forums when you take your much needed break from the summer sun (and all of your summer fun)! Until next month, we’ll see you on the threads. ** Nestlé Developing Working Replicator ** Like all good science fiction, Star Trek showed us the possibilities our future might hold. Some of these have become reality, from communicators that predicted cell phones, to PADDs that inspired the iPad. One technology ubiquitous to Star Trek’s world that doesn’t yet exist in ours is the Replicator (http://goo.gl/NBfE9q ). Nestlé’s R&D wing seeks to change that – perhaps within a few decades. The project, codenamed ‘Iron Man,’ is an extension of the company’s effort to analyze and map the nutritional needs of the individual (http://goo.gl/4GkUOD ). Eventually, it may be possible to meet these needs with a machine that synthesizes nutritional components into a custom-made meal. Maybe this is more like the food synthesizer from Star Trek’s 1960s run. Maybe it won’t be able to meet your order of chocolate wobble with pistachio (and peach) like it did for Nurse Chapel. That’s okay – better not to spoil your supper. Read more at the links below: http://goo.gl/YWfZhm http://goo.gl/MdKkmc ** Test Your Metal ** Star Trek, the original series and beyond, helped us to envision worlds beyond our own, opening our imaginations to the possibilities that could exist in such a vast galaxy. Worlds but ‘natural’ and ‘man-made’ existed, offering a plethora of life to be discovered and adventures to be had. While none of the events in the series have ever come to past, that doesn’t mean that scientists aren’t embarking on their own exciting ventures into outer space. One such adventure could occur as early as 2015. Scientists had been putting together a proposal for NASA’s Discovery Competition – and the winner actually gets to put their plan into action. Their propsal? Study an asteroid that is a member of the Kuiper belt – the line of asteroids that separate the first four planets from the last four. But asteroids exist in an abundance, right? True, but this is no ordinary asteroid, but one made of metal and thought to be the core of a protoplanet: http://goo.gl/bm8dfu The hope is that by studying this great, grey, lump of rock that scientists can learn more about the formation of planets. Unfortunately, the Psyche mission was not chosen as one of the final contestants (http://goo.gl/T6xYkS ), but if nothing else, the discovery of this core does lend itself to the imagination. And who knows, maybe a study of Psyche will come to pass some time in the future. ** New Academy Graduates ** Please welcome our newest Academy graduates to the UFOP: StarBase 118 fleet: Joran sek, L’Ral Rai’ow, and Ethan Parker! http://goo.gl/i3TNFx ** May Plot Summary for the USS Gemini ** Having managed to regain control of the USS Hermes, the USS Gemini NCC 80564 and the USS Wyoming NCC 82011 turn their attention to the Klingon Warbird commanded by the rogue officer Koval. A transmission intercepted by Ensign Rocko Stevens confirms that Koval is acting outside of the direction of the High Council. But as aggressive and determined as he is, Koval knows when he is outgunned, and that his ship is no match for the combined power of the Gemini and the Wyoming. Rather than press the fight, Koval retreats into Klingon space. The Gemini is in no condition to pursue, leaving Koval to escape. The Hermes secured, the Gemini sets course for Starbase 118 for urgently needed repairs and some well deserved leave. ** Congratulations Commander Ben Livingston ** The Captains Council of UFOP: StarBase 118 is pleased to announce the promotion of Lieutenant Commander Ben Livingston to the rank of commander. Commander Livingston serves on the USS Excalibur as the First Officer to Capt. Cascadia Rainier. Commander Livingston has been a member since June of 2012, simming under the same character. He has previously played science and engineering officers on both the Excalibur and StarBase 118 Ops. He was recently running the “This Week on 118Wiki” feature, which will be morphing into a contest very soon (more information coming!), and has been recognized with both the Neelix Award and TOSMA I in the past. Be sure to congratulate Commander Livingston on the forums: http://goo.gl/ETLXBd ----------------------------------- Jul 6, 2014July Fleetwide OOC Chat Reminder
Hey All! The monthly fleet chat will be held this Sunday, May 11th in the fleet chat room, http://bit.ly/fVGEmH at 10am Pacific / 1pm Eastern (US) / 6pm BST (UK) / 3am Monday UTC+11 (AUS). As always, please check your timezone for accuracy or for DST! The fleet chat usually lasts about two hours, although you are welcome to stay afterwards, and is a great chance to get to know what is going on in the rest of the fleet! Looking forward to seeing you all there! ~James --
Lt. Commander James Fleet Chat Co-Moderator Dif-tor heh smusma. Jul 8, 2014Re: July Fleetwide OOC Chat Reminder
Correction: The chat will occur this Sunday, July 13th. Jul 12, 2014Weekly Newsletter 2391.28
Happy weekend, fleetmates! FLEET EVENTS Fleet Chat
Top Sims Contest
Featured Bio Contest
Writing Challenge
Community Calendar
(newest at the top, oldest at the bottom) 2. Ren Rennyn Wins May/June Writing Challenge: http://goo.gl/Wvu4KG 3. June Plot Summary for the Duronis II Embassy & USS Thunder-A: http://goo.gl/vjO7b7 4. 20 Years And Counting: http://goo.gl/wPl2yK 5. New Academy Graduates: http://goo.gl/Bd9lPF 6. June Plot Summary for the USS Darwin: http://goo.gl/000v5P 7. July Fleetwide OOC Chat: http://goo.gl/I4dohQ
** June Plot Summary for the USS Garuda ** The crew of the Garuda, including the surprise return of a younger Aron Kells, were busy working to save the population of the city of Bocasa. This city, the largest settlement of the Eth race on the planet Pleethion, was about to be engulfed by an unstable, volcanic mud dome. One away team, under XO Commander Ross, was assigned to monitor the mud dome and investigate methods to stop its eruption. What no one could expect was that Commander Ross would turn rogue, kidnap Captain Reynolds, and abandon the rest of the team next to the dome. To compound his treachery, he had laid explosives aboard the USS Garuda to hinder their pursuit of him in a stolen shuttlecraft. Fortunately, Lieutenant Delano’s force shields prevented a lot of the damage to the ship. Meanwhile, another team, led by 2O Lt. Cmdr. Calderan, was tasked with helping with the evacuation of Bocasa. However, they were surrounded and captured by Eth zealots who resented their presence on the planet. They were being taken to be sacrificed to the deity Sirilis, but they were rescued at the last minute as the Garuda restored its sabotaged transporter systems and beamed them back safely. The mud dome away team were likewise rescued, but not before LtCmdr. Alleran Tan got a limpet mine painfully embedded into his leg. With the crew reassembled, the engineers and scientists on the Garuda worked to develop a plan to dehydrate the Mud Dome and save Bocasa, before beginning their pursuit of the wayward Harrison Ross and his captive, Capt. Quinn Reynolds. ** Ren Rennyn Wins May/June Writing Challenge ** Congratulations to Brian, aka Lieutenant Ren Rennyn, whose story “The Wind Knows a Song for the Ages” (http://goo.gl/8m4N5c ) has won the Writing Challenge for May and June! The story was written in response to the“Do What Is Right, Not What Is Easy” (http://goo.gl/tMqpY1 ) prompt provided by the the last round’s winner. Special congratulations are due to our winner: His story was unanimously chosen by this round’s four judges as the finest of the entrants, and that doesn’t happen very often! The story, according to the judges’ feedback, was well-written, engrossing, and effectively asked its audience to consider the Challenge’s theme. “This story makes the reader struggle with the concept of ‘right’ as it carefully balances in a morally grey area,” writes judge Jamie, aka Lt. Sal Taybrim. “I find that balance is the most intriguing part of the story in the end, the question of whether it is more right to preserve life or knowledge.” Excellent work, Brian! The next Challenge, “Fashion,” (http://goo.gl/ogNlfu ) is already up, so be sure to hurry over to the Writing Challenge Forum (http://goo.gl/sIEWbJ )for guidelines, deadlines, and inspiration! As always, don’t forget that you can pick up a complete collection of all this round’s short stories, in PDF format, for free. Get yours here! http://goo.gl/ryPnZf ** June Plot Summary for the Duronis II Embassy & USS Thunder-A ** The crew of the Duronis II Embassy and USS Thunder-A, NCC 70605 has been on shore leave for the past month while the new crew members who recently transferred from the USS Vigilant acclimated themselves to Embassy life. While on a trip to DS6, Fleet Captain Toni Turner and Lieutenant Brayden Jorey saved a Zalkonian man (Malon) from death, just prior to his ship exploding. Before taking him back to the Embassy for medical treatment, they found out he was a member of the Zalkonian Evolutionist Movement (ZEM), a process of transformation into a non-corporeal being, and he was showing signs of isoelectric bursts. Shortly after admitting Malon to the Medical Center, he went into a healing trance, and Turner and Ambassador Della Vetri are now waiting for him to awaken to find out more about him, speculating that he may want to contact with the Laudeans to reopen the Zalkonian Embassy in Lokesh City. Until they talk to him, no one knows what the future holds. ** 20 Years And Counting ** Roleplay has been around since the first child was old enough to use his imagination. Over time, as adults discovered that it was still fun despite growing older, roleplaying games were created. When those who desired to play found it difficult to connect with others, play by mail games came into existence to satisfy the desire to create new worlds and write exciting characters. Those games took on a new life with the rise of the internet. Members of a group would get together in chat rooms and spend hours writing out various scenarios and reactions. Play by mail eventually made its way to e-mail. As with anything, nothing last forever, but some games have boasted more staying power. Starbase 118 is one such game and today I had the opportunity to learn a bit more about this sim from the group’s very own founder. DeVeau: So I might as well start with the big news first – SB118 celebrates its twentieth anniversary! Did you ever expect that group you started way back in 1994 would ever last this long? Wolf: Never in a million years did I think it would last this long. But honestly, I can’t really see my life without this community. It’s so ingrained into my daily habits, and my story of self, that it’s hard to ever think about walking away. I’m 33 — I’ve been leading this group for well more than half my life at this point! Most days, it’s just about taking it step-by-step and getting to next month, rather than a year, ten years, or longer. I try and think about things like our awards process, Executive Council appointments, and staff promotions in the long-term, really thinking ahead, but most everything else is about the here-and-now. Even with 20 years of experience under our belt, we haven’t cracked the “member acquisition” nut, so it’s always a struggle to ensure that the fleet is growing, but also maintaining members. DeVeau: What were some of the struggles that you faced in the early days of the community and how did you resolve them? Wolf: First, the DRAMA. I think the population of people who were online at the time was a little more eccentric than we have now, and there was an incredible amount of drama that went into simming and administrating the group. Lots of very vicious arguments and personality conflicts. Second, there wasn’t a lot of software that made things easy. Nowadays, we have a wiki, a forum, a website, and Google Groups. In the earliest days, just getting a website online was a monumental task. DeVeau: The group started with a single ship – why the decision to turn it into a fleet? Wolf: Lots of the details are lost to time — and I don’t have a great memory — but my general recollection is simply that we had such an influx of people we had to put them somewhere! It was less about a deliberate intention to create a fleet and more about a need to accommodate the people who wanted to join. There’s a stark difference in the atmosphere of today’s simming and those early days. There wasn’t a lot to “do” on the internet (or AOL). There were no MMORPGs, and no Facebook. The internet felt more like an active hobby, rather than a passive experience, as it seems to be today. You were intentional about using your time online, rather than using it as a reference or a way to waste time, if that makes sense. DeVeau: Will you tell us a little bit about the evolution of the government of SB118? Wolf: Let me try and condense this down as tightly as possible, since it’s a topic that probably deserves its own dissertation! At the very beginning, there wasn’t much of a government. With so few captains, we just kinda bandied around decisions via email in a very casual way. And there weren’t so many decisions to make since the Academy, the promotions processes, and so-forth came a few years in. We didn’t have forums until 2002, and the wiki didn’t come online until 2004, so we didn’t really have any of the contests or teams that we do now. Things were a lot simpler and there wasn’t as much administrative stuff to talk about. Once we grew to more than five or six ships, we pulled together the “High Rankers Council,” which then grew quite rapidly to include a dozen captains, at least that many first officers and so-forth. It was hard to get anything done in that environment, since there were a lot of very strong personalities, there wasn’t much of a template to work from, and there were very divergent ideas about how things should work. One thing I should mention is that there was a much more independent streak at the time, in captains. There was less of a “fleet mentality” because the population of people who wanted to join was so large, captains felt like it was much easier to go it alone. In that way, the fleet was more beholden to the captains to stay with us — it was a “captain’s market,” if you will. The “coalition” of ships we had was tenuous, and there were a few that broke away. The phrase “Captain’s Autonomy” was something you heard a lot among the captains of the fleet — any time there was a contentious decision that was the rallying cry. Commanding Officers wanted to avoid being told what to do, by the fleet. (There were many sim groups that dictated the terms of plot and were much more controlling about what each ship did. There was a high level of fear that we would try and do that, which is never something I had interest in.) As time went on, I think that our community was able to prove to our community and prospective commanding officers that there’s a benefit to not only coalescing together, but also cooperating more closely and handing over some authority to the fleet itself. I’m talking about the ability to promote beyond the rank of Lieutenant Commander without oversight and things like that. I think it’s now evident to our commanding officers that there’s a good reason to have systems, oversight, and a strong set of rules that not only take some of the work off their shoulders, but also ensures the survival of their ship. Without the fleet, the responsibility to recruit and train new members would fall on the COs themselves, and that’s quite a burden. Our system — for those who aren’t familiar — puts Lieutenant Commanders into the Academy training program as trainers, which gives them vital experience in preparation for commanding a ship. In turn, new cadets benefit from the experience of those officers in training. It all works quite efficiently, and as I said above, the benefit to COs of fitting in to this system is much greater than trying to maintain autonomy at the expense of time and effort. So to bring it back to the evolution of our government, as we slowly, slowly moved toward minimizing this concept of “Captain’s Autonomy” and pushing for a more fleet-centric community, we needed a more flexible and responsive system of government. Captain Brian Kelly, who was a lawyer IRL, drafted the Constitution in such a way to divide the command between two groups that overlapped in membership — the Captains Council, and the Executive Council. The EC would be smaller and have faster responsiveness to the urgent situations. It also made the lines much clearer to prospective COs about what was in their power and what wasn’t. But I should say that, even to this day, the EC can at times be a controversial concept. Some captains chafe under the idea that some decisions are made by a small group of people which they aren’t a part of. It’s a difficult balance in trying to keep our COs happy, and keep the fleet healthy. Sometimes those two concepts are at odds with each other. The more time goes on, though, the more we staff have a sense of “the way things are and ‘always’ have been,” which can both help and hurt us. It gives us a sense of stability — a keel, if you will — so that when things get difficult, we can look at past history as a guide for how things should, and shouldn’t work. But it can also make us sclerotic, and avoid risks that we should be taking. Again, it’s a delicate balance trying to keep ourselves just uncomfortable enough to be innovative, while also honoring our traditions and staying within the guidelines we’ve set up for ourselves based on our past experience. DeVeau: Other than it’s style of government and longevity, how would you say SB118 differs from other Star Trek sims out there? Wolf: This is a bit difficult for me to say since I don’t have much experience with other groups. I’ve never had the time to participate in other sims since I founded UFOP: SB118, except for a few small MUDs based on Myst and Firefly. (Before I founded our group, I participated in another Star Trek sim, and also a sim based around a medieval castle, which I still remember fondly.) I have a rather vague sense that there are many other groups which have a much more open concept — anyone can become a CO as long as they find a crew — but I don’t really know the specifics of how most operate. I do know that many other groups don’t use the script format anymore, which was really the dominant format in the early days of simming. I’ve approached other groups about possible cooperation or even mergers to build our power, but this has been a real sticking point with other groups, and with our own members and staff members. I definitely think that one of the biggest things that differentiates us is the sense of professional pride and the view that this is something more than just simming. I really take very seriously the idea of encouraging our staff to learn how to communicate effectively, provide real feedback to people, take constructive criticism, and be a leader. I feel like it’s our duty to not only guide our members into better writing, but also to ensure that our staff come away from the group feeling like they’ve learned something important about how to work with people. In my own life, I feel that this community has given me an incredible skill-set in working with others. DeVeau: SB118 is so unique in that it’s not just a sim, it’s a community with a very welcoming spirit. That is an aspect that I’ve found many other sims don’t have – how does SB118 stay so positive and inviting? Wolf: As above, I think it’s an element of professional pride. And we’ve really had a strong focus on trying to streamline our processes, make everything as simple and friendly for new people as possible, and bring them into the fold quickly. I’ve done a lot of my own personal research on how people make the decision to join a community, and what they need to feel welcome, and I try and integrate that into our systems and procedures. DeVeau: What do you hope to see in the future for SB118? Wolf: That’s a tough question because, honestly, I don’t think about it too much. I feel like this community is a constant force — something that’s been here for a long time and will remain for a long time. I suppose I can divulge some crazy fantasies I’ve had about the success of the group or the ways it would change, to answer your question: First, I’ve often considered finding ways to ally with other simming communities. It’s obviously very difficult to find people who are interested in text-based simming these days, and I think that a larger organization could not only leverage its own user base, but also command a larger audience on social media and other sites where recruiting happens. So I’d like to eventually see a situation where we find a way to merge with another organization, or absorb one. Second, I hope that Star Trek sees some kind of revitalization which would lead to a greater audience. I’m not sure how we’d fit in to a “reimagined” Star Trek universe if it ever came to television, since we are very particular about the timeline we sim in, but it would be great to have a more prosperous recruiting funnel. Third, on a more technical note, I’d love to find a way to have greater integration between our forums, wiki, and website, which I believe are a bit onerous to navigate in terms of usernames and so forth. If I had a million dollars to spend, the first thing I would do is hire someone to create a unified system for our training pipeline that managed and tracked the fleet, allowed people to log in to the forums and wiki with the same username, and managed our sims. Maybe I’ll win the lottery :) Fourth and finally, simply being optimistic, I hope this community gets the recognition it deserves from the media that cover Star Trek. The age and cohesion of our community is truly spectacular, and it’s unfortunate that some other organizations which are of lower quality and younger age have managed to grab more of the spotlight, while we’ve remained a bit hermited. I hope we can change that. Regardless, I do think that this is an institution that will have no trouble maintaining for a very long time to come. ** New Academy Graduates ** Please welcome our newest Academy graduates to the UFOP: StarBase 118 fleet: Talisa zh’ Eriss, Caleb Barrows, and Lan Riel! http://goo.gl/YhSSji ** June Plot Summary for the USS Darwin ** With shore-leave behind them and the knowledge that after their contact, the Asavii were now on the way to collaborating peacefully the USS Darwin NCC-99312-A looked to their next mission. With no particular goal in sight the crew of the USS Darwin plotted a course for the nearest proto-stellar nebula. With the Darwin on it’s way, Captain Reinard was greeted by a strange woman in her quarters. It didn’t take long for the strange women to reveal herself as a member of the Q Continuum. Knowing full well what they were capable of, Captain Reinard was not expecting to find herself and the senior staff instantly moved onto what looked like Earth. Q choosing to keep her cards close to her chest revealed that they were too take part in a game of survival of the fittest in a setting of prehistoric Earth. Bewildered by the situation they were suddenly thrust into, they knew they needed to survive and that in the time of the dinosaurs they were the bottom of the food chain. Once Q left them in peace, Captain Reinard dispatched teams to collect and build the essentials for survival. As the crew split up they knew that playing along was the only choice they had but would the skills they have be enough to outwit and beat Q at her own game or would they be doomed to lock horns with the T-Rex of the jungle to ultimately determine the survival of the fittest. ** July Fleetwide OOC Chat ** Mark your calendars for the next fleetwide chat, coming up on Sunday, July 13th at 10am Pacific / 1pm Eastern (US) / 6pm BST (UK) / 3am Monday UTC+11 (AUS). Always check your timezone for accuracy/DST if applicable! To participate, simply head to our online chat room, at:http://goo.gl/xRjurK — if you have problems connecting, use the instructions listed below the chat box. Also, feel free to come onto the Voice Chat server – instructions are available here: http://goo.gl/AVij5q Our fleetwide chats are a space for all the members of the StarBase 118 group to get together and talk in real time about everything that’s happening within the group. Come by and see what goings-on are happening off your ship. Chats are always held on the second Sunday of every month, but you can head into the chat room at any time to see who else is there. ----------------------------------- Jul 13, 2014July Fleet Chat TODAY!
Hey All!
Jul 19, 2014Weekly Newsletter 2391.29
Happy weekend, fleetmates! FLEET EVENTS Top Sims Contest
Featured Bio Contest
Fleet Chat
Writing Challenge
Community Calendar
(newest at the top, oldest at the bottom) 2. The Beginning of the Beginning… : http://goo.gl/g2PlCa 3. New Academy Graduates: http://goo.gl/8CDQlg 4. June 2014 Post Totals: http://goo.gl/ZdbOQN
** June Plot Summary for the USS Excalibur-A ** The crew of USS Excalibur, NCC 41903-A watched as the actions of Lt. Vitor Silveira were scrutinized by a panel led by RAdm. Jaxx. Lt. Sal Taybrim and Silveira both offered their testimony under the direction of LtCmdr. Katy Orman, representing the prosecution, and LtCmdr. Brek, leading the defense. The charges: reckless endangerment of the ship and undefined entities, dereliction of duty, attempted murder, and involuntary manslaughter of FltCapt. Kalianna Nicholotti. By the end, the tribunal was convinced of Silveira’s innocence of all counts except insubordination, and demoted him to the rank of Lt JG. Other members of the crew explored Erscyne station, taking in the sights and sounds of the Bakalostii, a marketplace on the station. While they were observed to be outsiders by some of the inhabitants, there were no incidents and the first steps toward more friendly relations were established. By order of StarFleet Command, FltCapt. Cascadia Rainier took command of Excalibur. After a tour of the ship, she met with the First Officer regarding personnel matters. In that regard, Lt. Rune Jolara was ordered to the post of Chief Counselor. A petition by Scott Walker, civilian, to a role in the ship’s counseling department was also considered. Having received new orders, the ship now prepared to set out for its next mission. ** The Beginning of the Beginning… ** While the new Trek movies that comprise the ‘Reboot’ have been nothing short of epic, they are lacking a very important aspect of the overall Star Trek experience. At the very center of the entire franchise has always been the idea of the original Enterprise and their five year mission to seek out strange new worlds and civilizations. It is that central heart that the new movies have been missing. But thanks to the changeover in directors, fans will soon get a taste of what that five year mission might entail in the newest Trek timeline. Once again, all of our favorite Starfleet officers will take their places on the most iconic starship in history. Once again, they will strike out on a mission to explore, but this time they will not only be taking the original generation of fans along with them for the ride, but they’ll be taking a whole new group of younger adventurers and dreamers too. If the original series and their exploratory adventures had plenty of real world effects, perhaps it is time we see the impact Star Trek can have on society today. The details of the plot aren’t entirely in the open yet, but the news is making things a bit clearer as the movie is transformed from script to reality. Learn more in this article on the next five year mission of the USS Enterprise: http://goo.gl/lZisAO ** New Academy Graduates ** Please welcome our newest Academy graduates to the UFOP: StarBase 118 fleet: Gordon Mobius, Ian Connory, and Nathaniel Wilmer! http://goo.gl/c91Ie9 ** June 2014 Post Totals ** As part of the ongoing overview of the fleet as a whole, here are the monthly figures for total posts for each ship. This summary will give you an idea of how active the ship is on a month-by-month basis. Following the decommissioning of the Vigilant, and the subsequent launch of the Victory, simming averages have risen above what they were two months ago. Second only to January this year, the Fleet’s excitement can clearly be seen as our numbers paint a picture of active writers. In the heart of vacation, many writers are finding more time to write, while new members are joining in the fun with clear results. Our next chart gives the number of sims for each ship over the course of June. The Embassy and the Darwin continue strong, coming in with over three hundred sims for the month, while the Atlantis continues their steady midway trend. In fact, almost all ships experienced an increase in sim counts this month, including, and most notably, the newly commissioned Victory, who made a great showing at just over 160 sims for the month. We’re excited about what this overall trend means for next month too. With sim rates on the rise, there’s sure to be something amazing to report next time. -----------------------------------
Jul 26, 2014Weekly Newsletter 2391.30
Happy weekend, fleetmates! FLEET EVENTS Top Sims Contest
Featured Bio Contest
Fleet Chat
Writing Challenge
Community Calendar
(newest at the top, oldest at the bottom) 2. Dancing With The Stars: http://goo.gl/6LWuHB 3. New Academy Graduates: http://goo.gl/PTOjOk 4. June Plot Summary For The USS Apollo: http://goo.gl/SQFXvO 5. 20 Years Of Simming: 5 Big Changes In The Past 20 Years: http://goo.gl/T2qiPb 6. June Plot Summary For The USS Victory: http://goo.gl/vZKHYk 7. Round 19 Of The Top Sims Contest Now Open: http://goo.gl/O2xpDx 8. Promotions For June, 2014: http://goo.gl/10mjFG
** Liam Frost Promoted To Captain ** The Executive Council of UFOP: StarBase 118 is pleased to announce the promotion of Liam Frost to the rank of captain. This is an honor of highest proportions in our community, and we’re truly happy to see someone with such a unique voice, and clear talent in the role of commanding officer. After promotion to commander last October, Captain Frost was given authorization to begin his practical examination aboard an entirely new vessel, the USS Gemini, which was comprised of officers from StarBase 118 Ops and the USS Discovery-C. Be sure to offer Captain Frost your congratulations (http://goo.gl/Uf5cJ5 ), and we wish the crew of the Gemini the best of luck on their adventures. ** Dancing With The Stars ** Have you ever compared the skies and stars to dancing? In many books and stories I’ve read, heavenly bodies have been depicted as undulating in a coordinated array of motion, as if swaying to some unheard melody that only they can fathom. ‘The stars danced in the sky’ seems to be a popular description among many fellow sim players in the various games I’ve played over the last decade. So do stars really dance? Perhaps they do. At the very least, they play music! Okay, the stars may not play music, but a black hole did – well, a single note anyway. Back in November of 2003, astronomers actually heard a note coming from the Perseus Galaxy, a massive cluster galaxies located a mere 250 million light years away from earth. What sort of note? Using technology along with gold old fashion music theory, Dr. Andrew Fabian and a team of colleagues at the Institute of Astronomy in Cambridge, England determined that a note detected from the cluster was, in fact, a B-flat. Don’t expect to be able to hear this celestial tone – it rings out at about 57 octaves below middle C. That’s over a billion times lower than the lowest note the human ear can hear. So next time you gaze up at the stars and see them gleam and prance in the night sky, it may very well be to a tune that only they can hear. You can read more about this musical cluster by heading over to Nasa’s website: http://goo.gl/cfuwhm ** New Academy Graduates ** Please welcome our newest Academy graduates to the UFOP: StarBase 118 fleet: Raissa Moonsong and Nicole Fullmer! http://goo.gl/T4OTnK ** June Plot Summary For The USS Apollo ** After the alien vessel’s AI, Rapture, made itself known on the bridge of the USS Aegis, NCC-74323, Lieutenant Commander Sundassa Faranster spoke with the ambassador of the alien species, and agreed to assist them, asking them to send over details of what was needed. While they waited, Sundassa worked with Lieutenant Commander Jalana Laxyn to organize a team that would go to the other ship, consisting of their Engineer, Lieutenant JG Eileen McCleran, Nurse Ensign Dial. Since transporters didn’t work with the alien ship, they had to rely on a shuttle and their HCO Lieutenant JG Patrick McLeod to pilot it. The team on the Aegis continued to try to scan and get answers about the strange aliens while their away team shipped out. Ensign Ar’jin working on deciphering the scans of the ship. Once the away team got over there, the away team separated to get the work done, while Laxyn went to meet the Elder. While Laxyn was with the Elder, the Ambassador took things wrong, attacked and imprisoned some of the away team, causing a lock down on the ship, and the Aegis crew was left to negotiate the return of their crew mates. The captured team escaped during negotiations and made their way to the shuttle bay with the assistance of the AI and some of the aliens, while the Elder offered Laxyn use of his emergency escape pod. ** 20 Years Of Simming: 5 Big Changes In The Past 20 Years ** Last month, StarBase 118 celebrated its 20thsimming anniversary! Simming – and Star Trek – have come a long way since 1994. Today we take a look at some of the biggest changes in simming between then and now and how those changes have formed our game today. 1: Changes in the Trek Prime canon In 1994, Next Gen was coming to an end, Deep Space Nine was getting started and Voyager was an exciting proposal. The biggest decision a sim needed to make when starting up was whether they were going to include the Borg as an enemy or whether it would be a plain old ‘explore the galaxy/threat-of-the week’ style sim. Since then we have watched the Dominion War devastate the quadrant, multiple major changes in politics with the Klingon, Romulan and Cardassian empires, the explosion of the Hobus Star, the development of the Delta and Gamma quadrants, the revelation of Section 31 and a myriad of new races come to life on the big and small screens. Sims today need to not only recognize the changes in canon, but pick a time in canon to play in. Sims, like SB118 that have built stories while canon was changing needed to talk about how they could incorporate the changes in Trek canon with the story lines of their own game. All in all, the later Trek series and the Trek movies brought a newfound complexity to Star Trek, and became a point of discussion and sometimes dissension between fans. It has made our simming games more complex that they were in the past, often times including long term political plotlines and overarching story elements. 2: The Reboot Movies Love them, hate them, or anywhere in between, no one can deny that J.J. Abrams’s vision of Trek brought changes to the fandom. Even though many sims play solely in the Trek prime universe, the reboot style of high action interspersed with emotional scenes affected the way many players looked at their writing. It has also prompted many discussions about the characterization of Vulcans, taking from the new portrayal of Spock by Zachary Quinto. As new Trek movies come out, more and more simmers will come to the fandom with the movies as their main frame of reference. You can find an ongoing dialogue about aspects of the reboot movies in Star Trek simming forums, and many players who are happy to add elements of those movies into the prime universe that SB118 focuses on. 3: Wikis Wikipedia launched in January of 2001 and as this media source grew it had a profound effect on both the internet and the simming community. Memory Alpha followed in 2003, becoming an indispensable resource for Star Trek gaming. After that individual sims started crafting their own wikis to keep a record of characters. SB118 launched our wiki in March of 2004, and it now boasts over 7,500 articles! Wikis allowed sims to streamline their information into an easy to edit, easy to read format which was a big step up from the old fashioned black-and-neon free websites hosted by sites such as Angelfire and GeoCities. Many players cite a strong wiki as a reason why they are attracted to the SB118 game. 4: Simming interfaces The first sims to hit the play by e-mail scene were turn based wargames, oftentimes with published rules. These sims had been played over postal mail before the rise of the internet. In Star Trek the most well known wargame is Starfleet Battles, which can now be played in a variety of online venues. As e-mail became more popular, writing intensive games started to crop up, many written as ‘round-robin’ fiction style where each writer would write for an entire ensemble and pass it to the next writer. As simming evolved, new games cropped up restricting writers to only writing for their particular characters and NPCs, bringing with it the concept of ‘tag’ style simming. At the same time, other sims developed over chat media, with each player posting actions and dialogue in real time. SB118 developed a unique simming style that evolved from chat gaming and now incorporates a focus on writing as well as tag style gaming while remaining a play by e-mail focused format. 5: You! Whether you have been playing in SB118 for a few weeks or many years, as players change they shape the way the game is played. Longtime players grow and mature, bringing with them a change in perspective as they settle into their lives. Many of them edit their characters or choose to play new ones to explore different aspects of the game. At the same time new players come to the game with fresh new ideas and brand new characters to add life and liveliness to the story. The result is that simming groups tend to be far more diverse now than they were twenty years ago. Simmers now come in all ages and from a vast background of Star Trek fans across the world! As the internet continues to become more accessible, we can look forward to even more growth and diversity as the story continues. ** June Plot Summary For The USS Victory ** Life has been hectic for people newly stationed to the USS Victory, NCC-362447. With the sudden transfers to the newly re-commissioned USS Victory, the crew has had little time to get acquainted before being sent to the tempest sector on an urgent mission. What made this even more interesting was that the sector was galactic south of the enigmatic Tholian holdfast. With a top secret mission to investigate a planet whose coordinates were given from an ancient alien data cube on Duronis II, it is believed that it could be the key to understand an alien menace that has only been hinted at in the information extracted from the cube. Upon arrival to the planet of Paksos II, they find a long dead civilization, ancient stations in orbit and to make matters far more volatile, a Tholian patrol corvette that arrived to threaten the USS Victory if it does not leave immediately. Only time will tell how this new crew will escape the perils of this mission. ** Round 19 Of The Top Sims Contest Now Open ** The Top Sims Contest is now accepting nominations for Round 19 until July 27th. Nominating a great sim is easy, and only takes a minute: Visit the Top Sims Contest (http://goo.gl/WFNKvI ) page, start a new topic, and paste the sim into the text field! It’s just that easy to share a great sim with the entire fleet. The winning sim will go on to the fourth run-off round, where it will go on to compete against the other run-off winners to determine the best sim of 2014, as determined by you. So get out there, and give the writers in our community the recognition they deserve. And keep an eye out for the third run-off round, opening soon for your voting. ** Promotions For June, 2014 ** The staff of UFOP: StarBase 118 would like to take a moment and recognize the officers — please be sure to congratulate these folks when you see them in the corridors of your vessel! Excalibur • Ben Livingston to Commander Darwin • Jack Corbin to Lieutenant • Clio Margariti to LtJG -----------------------------------
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